Pen Pal from the Last Frontier
by FebruaryAquarian
Summary: Draco Malfoy gets an American witch as a pen pal. It starts out as fun, but things begin to turn sour as dark secrets emerge. Soon, he begins to fear for the girl's life. Can he sever his blood ties to save her? Currently on hold for a redo.
1. Chapter 1

_**Pen Pal from the Last Frontier.**_

_-Rewriting entire story. New direction._

_*M rating for implied abuse, neglect, cult involvement, racism in brief parts-often subtle, sexual content and language. Deals with fundamentalist Christianity and while a fundamentalist is someone who practices the fundamental tenets of their faith, today the term is usually used to refer to extremists and radicals of a faith or belief. Draco Malfoy/O.C. AU-not canon entirely, but canon in parts. _

_Disclaimer__: Not for any profit, all for fun. I don't think I really need a reminder, but everything here is not mine except the OC, which belongs entirely to me. _

_**A/N**__: When I last read the series, a thought came into my head. If a magical world of all the fantasy creatures existed, how would regular humans honestly take it? Even more so, I wondered: What if one of those "Christian" parents who fear fairy tales and perceived notions of witches or sorcerers had a child who was a witch or wizard? I came up with the idea then, but never really wrote it down. I decided to add a Harry Potter character to make it interesting. A pureblood wizard from the U.K, who only knows of the wizarding world, whose family hates non-magical folk and would gladly partake in their extermination and a witch from the U.S whose parents fear the unknown and everything related to magic and would gladly partake in a witch hunt. That's the plot here. _

_Enjoy the story!_

**Chapter 1:**

Draco Malfoy was a Slytherin and a pureblood wizard. It was something he was proud of. The name Malfoy revered some respect in the wizarding world. Well, at least in the English wizarding world. He only knew of the life of the wizards. He knew nothing about muggles and didn't care enough to ask any mudbloods what it was like.

"We have decided that we will provide you all with pen pals from different countries this year. That is if anyone wishes to participate. They will be witches and wizards from other schools like yours." The Headmaster spoke to them. Everyone was having breakfast.

Draco thought about this. A pen pal from another country? It sounded like it could be fun. He wondered if they had a school like Hogwarts to go to. What would their school be like? Maybe he'd get someone from Durmstrang. He doubted they would give them pen pals from there or Beaxbatons either, though. They knew each other already. It would be neat to get to know another witch or wizard from a different part of the world, nonetheless.

It was settled, he wanted to participate. He signed up during lunch that afternoon with many others. It seemed almost everyone wanted to have pen pal. They would write their letters today and receive the name of their pen pal's school and address tomorrow. He wrote his letter that night after he had finished his homework. He wasn't sure what to write and kept changing his mind.

_Dear Pen Pal,_

_It's hard to ask questions to someone I don't know so I will stick with the basics. What is your school like? Does your school give you letters that tell you that you get to go to their school? Is it a boarding school too? Do you have a house system? We have four houses that are our dormitories. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. I am in Slytherin. I am in Year 5, what year are you in? How do you get to your school? We get there by train. Do you have uniforms you wear? We do. We have robes with our crest on them and house colors. Slytherin's symbol is a serpent and our colors are white and green. What are your school or house colors (if you have a house system)._

_Write back soon,_

_Draco Malfoy_

He didn't dare show it, but he was a bit excited about tomorrow. Where would his pen pal be from? Would it be a boy or a girl? He hoped it was a boy. A girl would be awkward. He fell asleep wondering if his new pen pal was from Canada or France or Africa or Russia.

The next day at lunch, he handed in his letter and received the envelope that would reveal where his letter was being sent. Everyone around him was opening their letters and most were happy to hear where their letters were sent. Draco heard Theodore Nott exclaim that he got someone from Tokyo, Japan. Pansy said her pen pal was from Paris, France. He thought she looked starry-eyed and a bit over-excited about the prospect of knowing someone from Paris. Girls were strange.

"Just because it was the city of love and lights, honestly." He thought to himself.

Draco had to admit, to himself anyway, that he was excited to see who he got too. As he opened up the envelope, Goyle leaned over. "I can't read where mine says. Say-u-al-t Stuh-it O-in-tuh-air-i-o Can-add-a?" Draco grumbled and grabbed the paper

"Sault St. Marie, Ontario, Canada. They go to a school called La Pierre Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry"

"Oh."Goyle paused. "Where is the school at again?" Draco sighed.

"It doesn't tell you where the school is. It's telling you where your pen pal lives. And it's Sault St. Marie. It's a French name." Draco opened the rest of his envelope and unfolded the parchment.

"But I thought it was in Can-add-a?"

"Can-uh-duh, Goyle. And the French settled there, that's why the town has a French name. I'll help you find it on a map later." Malfoy turned to his letter.

"Your pen pal lives in North Pole, Alaska, United States. The school is called Midnight Sun Academy for Witches and Wizards."

"Why do they call it Midnight Sun? Do they get sun at midnight?"

"I don't know. I think they do."

"Where's Alaska?"

"Near the Arctic, I think."

"Cool. Your pen pal lives in the Arctic. Do you think they live with penguins in an igloo?"

Draco glared at Goyle. He was such an idiot."Penguins live in the Antarctic, not the Arctic Circle, Goyle. And they wouldn't live in an igloo. They would most likely live in a house. Alaska is in a civilized nation. It's not the Stone Age."

"Hey, you said the North Pole. That's where Santa Claus lives, right?"

Draco smacked his head."Not _that_ North Pole. It's just the name of a town, Goyle. I hope they are a pureblood. I wonder if their school allows muggle-borns like ours does."

"Me too. I wonder if it will be a witch or a wizard." Crabbe chimed in.

"I'm sure we'll be paired with wizards. If they paired us with witches, they would assume we might develop too friendly of a relationship. They wouldn't want all that scandal. Being in love with someone you've never met on the other side of the world, can you imagine the headache it could cause?"

"Yea, that makes sense. I got someone from C-oar-in-tuh-h, Gruh-e-e-k-e."

"Corinth, Greece. I feel sorry for both of your pen pals." Draco corrected him. Crabbe and Goyle were good guards and friends, but complete morons.

Tap, tap, tap. Lindsey Rink tapped her pencil against her desk. What good was devil's snare anyway? She sighed. Her younger sister, Callie was sitting on her bed doing an essay. In the other corner, her little sister Abby was brushing her doll's hair. She looked out the window. It was dark outside even though it was only three in the afternoon. She could hear wolves howling in the distance. A figure outside startled her a moment before she realized it was just a bear. They hung around like stray dogs where she lived, which was in the middle of nowhere.

She heard her little brothers running down the hallway outside her bedroom. They made a lot of racket, but she knew they were just bored. Lindsey could hear her other sister, Rachel crying at them. Her baby brother was also crying. There were too many children in their small three-bedroom home in the middle of nowhere. They didn't fit. Lindsey often wondered if magic could make it bigger and provide her with a separate bedroom. A room of her own would be lovely.

"Lindsey!" Her mother cried. "Lindsey!" Lindsey sighed and put down her pencil. She wanted to finish her Herbology essay before Allen got home. Allen was her step-father. He despised magic and refused to acknowledge she was witch or believe any of the "nonsense." She always had to do her homework in secret. If he knew what she was doing, he would punish her and threaten her with a myriad of things from taking her for an exorcism, horrific concepts of being sent to hell, and saying she needed mental help. He considered her to be fraternizing with demons and working with Satan. If she did need mental help, he would be the cause.

"Lindsey!"Her mother yelled out again. She moaned and got up to help her mother with her siblings while she made dinner. Her mother was often torn with Lindsey. Sometimes she thought it was fine to let her watch her siblings. Other times, she would panic and refuse to let them near her for fear she would "contaminate them with Satan's influence." This was especially true when anything "odd" occurred, like moving things or breaking something that she wasn't near when she was upset or angry. Today, Grace (Rink) Bergen, Lindsey's mother, wanted her to watch them. She guessed her mom wanted a break and didn't care if it was the "Devil's child" who watched them or not.

Lindsey kept her brothers and sisters busy while she also tried to do finish her Herbology essay. She was barely able to finish before she heard Allen's truck pulling up the gravel driveway. She hid her quill, ink and essay just ahead of him entering from the garage door.

"Daddy!" Noah cried out with Jonah and Luke. The boys, along with Rachel and Abby ran to the door. He gave them each a big hug.

"My charming kids, how was your day?" Lindsey rolled her eyes as she thought about the incantation for a charm she had just learned. She closed her eyes and began pretending to wave her wand with the motions when she was snapped back to reality by Allen yelling at her. "What on earth do you think you are doing?" She opened her eyes and put her hands down.

"Nothing." She was in trouble.

"It was something. You were trying to curse me, weren't you? You and that good for nothing school of yours." His face was turning red and his finger was pointing at Lindsey accusingly. At least he had admitted she went to school during the day, something he rarely acknowledged.

"No, I was just-"She had to think of a lie fast.

"If I catch you pretending you are a witch, I, I'll send you to the minister for an exorcism, you hear me?"

"I was imagining I was a conductor." She spoke out quickly.

"Useless child. You don't need a job. Your job to take care of the house." Her father believed women were only good for bearing children and men were heads of the home. It bugged Lindsey to no end. He also called her siblings "his army for God." It bothered her immensely. What did he need an army for anyway? She knew the answer to that question, but she didn't understand it. They believed Satan was trying to bring down God and his Kingdom and that America was the next Babylon, set for destruction. It's why they had moved to Alaska and lived in the middle of nowhere. It's why she and Callie were practically yanked out of the local public school they had attended back in elementary. It was why her "abnormal powers" terrified them. Lindsey was convinced God made her a witch, but her parents venomously denied it. She had "evil gifts" and she had to stop it, block it before Satan pulled her to the "dark side."

After dinner, Lindsey went to her room and saw something flying toward her home. She opened her window despite the biting cold. It was pitch black dark outside and there weren't any streetlights around, so she had to strain to see what was coming. An owl? An owl, yes, an owl was coming! Though still a bit brown because it wasn't winter yet, she recognized it as a snowy owl. It was carrying something and came toward her with great speed.

"Oh, slow down, don't get hurt!" She thought to herself. It was like it heard her and slowed down, landing gracefully on her window. It stuck out its leg. It had a letter attached to it. She took it off.

It looked tired. "You can stay here tonight if you want. You must have come a long way. But you have to stay quiet because Allen will punish us both. I don't want him to kill a pretty bird like you." It came in and sat on her bed. She shut the window and sat beside him. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?" She opened the envelope and saw a letter. "My pen pal, it has to be!" She read the letter. "It is my pen pal. He's in England. You have flown a long way. I'm going to write back to him right now." She got out her parchment, quill and ink.

"Draco Malfoy. That's an interesting name." She began to write. Someone to talk to outside of school that was her age would be wonderful. What was Year 5? She was in the 10th Grade. Were they even the same age? This was something she should definitely ask.

**A/N**: The cult involvement I mention is not Wiccan, pagan or any other similar culture or religion that someone might consider being a "cult" or "dangerous." It involves Christianity and the dangers posed by extremists. This is unfortunately very familiar territory for me. I was deeply involved in Christianity during high school and went a bit into the extreme side with my beliefs. Life snapped me out of it a couple years later and before it got too far. I was in it enough to know the dangers it can pose. I have seen more than one person and more than one family become destroyed emotionally, mentally and even physically as a result of the beliefs. Extremism of any viewpoint is a dangerous road to travel. Also remember that in America, there has been more than one parent that has tried to ban _Harry Potter_ being read to children because it is "dangerous" and "mainstreaming witchcraft to children." I hope this helps you understand where I am coming from.


	2. Chapter 2

*And thanks for the review, Mayacompany. Yes, I know a few people like your grandmother. *

Draco,

I am okay, I guess. How are you? My school is like a castle, but it is made of ice. Well, it resembles ice anyway. The inside is warm, thankfully. What is your school like? We do get letters that tell us we've been accepted to the school the summer before our first year there. My mom and Allen freaked out and were in hysterics when they heard I was accepted. They actually tried to forbid me from going, but somehow the school convinced them otherwise.

I do not know what you mean by Year 5. I am 15 and in the 10th Grade. We don't have a house system, but we do have teams. I am on the Polar Bear Team. There is also the Moose, Buffalo, Eagle, Caribou and Walrus teams. I was on the Caribou team from 6th-8th Grade. We take our classes with our teams. My school is not a boarding school. I wish it was though! I'd love to be away from my parents for most of the year! I get to and from school by portkey or by broom. Some days I go by floo powder. Many days it is just too cold to go by broom. This is especially true when it is winter and the snow storms hit. We don't have uniforms, per say, but we have certain colors we are supposed to wear and a very strict dress code. Our school's colors are gold, white and blue. We do have robes we wear. Our symbol or mascot is of the Arctic Fox with the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) behind it.

What is your family like? I live with my mother, Allen (my step-father), my sister Callie (Allen is her step-father too) and my six other siblings from my mom and Allen. There are TOO many children in the house. It's not a big house. It's not big enough for 10 people anyway. We are bursting at the seams, literally. I wonder if magic could make it bigger, though Allen and my mom would freak out if I tried. Did you go to a methodical elementary school (the ones the conventional humans go to) or were you homeschooled? I did both. Callie and I started at the local elementary schools where we lived (Washington state and Alaska), but then mom pulled us out, fearing our souls would be doomed there. I don't know why. I liked school. It got me away from them. Besides, mom clearly has little patience to teach. She says she hates it, but refuses to let anyone else teach us. Lucky for me, I get away from them during the day.

Write soon,

Lindsey Rink

Draco read the letter, pondering on what to think and what to write back to her. _Her_, his pen pal was female, which surprised him. She came from a large family. Her mom and step-father hated magic. They must be muggles. Figures he'd get the mudblood. He actually felt a bit panicked at the thought of conversing with a muggle-born, but realized she could be a half-blood. She didn't mention her biological father. This would be okay. If his parents knew he was conversing with a mudblood, he'd never hear the end of it.

She didn't know what Year 5 meant? Well, she was an American. They just did things differently. She was in 10th grade, but since she was his age, he figured they had to be equal in their schooling. Her school wasn't a boarding school and she went back and forth every day. She had gone to a muggle primary school. Fearing for her soul at a public school? Her mom must be nuts. He certainly may have disliked muggles, but he was sure nothing muggles taught in school would do any serious harm to the soul. She mentioned one sister by name. Was she a witch too? He had to ask.

_Lindsey, _

_I am an only child and I live with my mum and father. I am sorry you have so many siblings. I am also sorry your parents hate magic so much. They don't sound like very nice people. They must be muggles. Is your biological dad a muggle too? Or is he a wizard? Are any of your siblings' witches or wizards? Our school is a castle too, but just a normal one. An ice castle sounds cool. I was tutored for my early years. I did not go a muggle primary school or a methodical elementary school (as you put it). _

Draco was curious though, what was a muggle primary school like? He shouldn't ask, his pride told him. Why should he care how muggles live? He could not shake off his curiosity though. He had to at least ask. What were muggle children taught?

_What do methodical elementary schools teach? What do you learn there? Why did your parents pull you out to homeschool you? Why did they fear for your souls there? You don't have to answer the last two questions if you don't want too. I just find it strange, especially if you liked it there and everything. Magic probably could make your house bigger, but you might get in trouble for doing magic in front of muggles. Does the United States have strict rules about not using magic around muggles? It's a serious offense here, especially now that people think You-Know-Who is back._

Draco had decided to say You-Know-Who instead of the Dark Lord. Then, he wondered if she would know who that even was. Did witches and wizards from other countries know about him? They had to have at least heard about him, especially with what happened in the first war. If they did know, calling Voldemort the Dark Lord could be a big mistake.

_I hope you know who I am speaking of when I say that. We do not speak his name here. It is considered taboo. I hope this letter finds you well. Your reply of "okay, I guess" wasn't convincing. By the way, I am fine. You asked. _

_Draco _

"Draco, can you help me read my letter. I think he wrote to me in French." Goyle asked as Draco signed his letter to Lindsey. Draco sighed as he gave his letter to his owl to deliver and took Goyle's letter.

0o0o0o

"No! I'm the princess, you are the mean, old, evil witch, remember! Witches are not nice!" Lindsey cringed as she heard Rachel say it. Mean, old, and evil indeed!

"Who says?" Lindsey snapped back, unable to hold back her tongue as wrote about a sleeping potion for homework. She was watching her younger siblings.

Abby and Noah had stopped and turned to her. "Mom and Dad says they mean." Luke answered. This was not correct English, but she wasn't about to lecture the two year old on how to speak.

"Well, it's a lie. Most of them are nice."

"Witches aren't real." Noah answered her.

"Yes, they are, Noah."

"Lindsey, you're going to get in trouble."Callie said in an attempt to convince her sister that this was a bad idea.

"I don't care. I won't stand for this!"

"They aren't real. Mom and dad said they aren't."

"They lied."

"They never lie!" Abby interjected.

"Really, never?" Lindsey asked, her words dripping with sarcasm. "Could have fooled me?"

"They did fool you." Jonah said back. The six year old couldn't be expected to understand her irony.

"Witches not nice. They mean." Luke said back.

"Am I mean?"

"No. You nice."

"Then all witches aren't mean."

"What do you mean?"Rachel asked.

"I mean I am a witch and I am not mean or evil, so stop believing that nonsense."

"You are not a witch." Noah insisted.

"I am so. Where do you think I go every day? To work? I am going to school, a school for witches and wizards during the day."

"No! They aren't real! They are fairy tales!" Abby maintained. "Witches aren't real! Mom and dad said."

"Yes, they are. They don't want you to know it. They want to hide it from you because it ruins their idea of a perfect world."

"No! No! You're not a witch! They can't be real! They don't exist! Just like ghosts and vampires don't exist!"

"Who says ghosts and vampires don't exist?"

Abby's lip quivered. Lindsey's heart sunk a little. She didn't want to make her sister cry. She did want to make her think about the possibility of something more and that those forbidden stories of "fictional" creatures might be real. Though Lindsey's mom and Allen hadn't read them fairy tales, Lindsey and Callie had told them the stories. Before Noah came along, her mother would read the stories. After Noah came, her mother decided they were too dangerous.

"They don't exist like mermaids don't exist. Just like fairies don't exist!"

"They do exist! I have seen them!"

"What do you mean?" Her teary eyes were starting to brighten a bit. "Fairies do exist? You saw one?"

"More than one, Abby and I have seen a mermaid."

"You saw a mermaid? A real mermaid? What do they look like?" Just as Lindsey was about to talk about what a mermaid looked like, her mother entered the living room.

"Everything okay? What's the shouting about?"

"Nothing, mom. Just a little argument." Callie said to try and save face.

"Insy be nice witch." Luke said. He still had trouble saying her name. "Witches are nice. Insy is witch." The truth was out.

"Is that what she tells you?"Her mother looked at Lindsey, her eyes ready to spit venom."Well, she's lying to you. Witches don't exist. They are evil creatures."

"That's a lie!" Lindsey spat out. She knew she'd pay for it later, but didn't care.

Her mother turned to her coldly. "Are you calling me a liar?"

"Yes, yes, I am!" Lindsey stood up. Abby gasped. Callie was pretending to disappear into the sofa.

"How dare you!"

"You know I am a witch! You don't want to admit! It scares you!"

"You think you are a witch! You are insane, crazy! Crazy people believe such things exist!"

"Then why are you so afraid of those stories, huh? If they aren't real, then why does it scare you so much? It scares because you know I am a witch! Those stories are real and you are terrified to admit that it is real! My existence frightens you, admit it!" She was yelling now, her frustration mounting. Her siblings weren't saying a word. Even Adam (the baby) was quiet. He seemed to sense that now was not the time to make a fuss.

"You think that, but you are just doing Satan's work! You are his minion! I don't know why we let you live you! You are a danger to everyone here!"

"Is that right? Well then, why don't you just throw me out if you really believe that?" The house was eerily quiet for nine people to be in it at the moment. "You know I am not evil! You don't want to admit I exist! Admitting I exist ruins your perfect idea of the world!" Lindsey stormed off to her bedroom with her mother screaming at her about Allen beating her for this and angrily coming after her. Lindsey shut the door and locked it. She could easily use magic to outsmart the woman, but she would get in serious trouble.

As she collapsed face-down on her bed, she heard something tapping her window. She got up, seeing the owl. It was from Hogwarts. Her pen pal had written back. She could really use someone to talk to right now. The letter made her terrible day and what she knew would be a horrific evening, better.

As she finished up her letter back to Draco, she heard Allen come home and knew she was going to pay for her discussion very shortly. She was supposed to respect her parents and elders. It was hard when they never respected her and treated her like vermin. She hoped it wouldn't be the plumbing line this time and braced herself as she heard him thundering down the hall toward her room, yelling at the top of his lungs. It was going to be a long, miserable night.


	3. Chapter 3

*Mild language warning. Also, reviews are not for religious arguments, just in case someone has an issue. I don't mind reading differing opinions regarding my story and find them useful quite often, but don't argue over religion. If you would like to discuss those matters, you may pm me and I'd be happy to answer any concerns or questions regarding this. Thanks! Also, this chapter is a bit boring, but it explains a few things better. More action will occur in future chapters.*

_Draco,_

_An only child? Lucky you! With my parents, good is a rare mood. If you are anything less than cheerful with them though, they make your life a living hell. If you are happy, that's bad too. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Feeling unhappy is standard as a result. My parents are quite unhappy for people so intent on "keeping sweet." Today, even saying I am okay would be a lie. My mom and I had a row about witches. It got a little heated. I am not trying to put my problems on you, I just need to vent. I am in so much trouble when my step-dad finds out later. I'll pay for arguing. _

_What's a muggle? Does it mean someone who's not magic? We call them nonzards. My mom is not a witch, as should be evident. Allen's obviously not a wizard. No, none of my siblings are witches or wizards. I wish Callie was though. I hate that she is stuck at home with mom all day. _

_As for my biological father, I'm afraid I don't have an answer. I wish I knew. You see, I've never met him. I don't know who he is. My mom won't talk about him. Sometimes I wonder if she even knows who my father is. She wasn't exactly, what's the word, a chaste person where she's from. A bit, er, trampy? Yes, that's not a nice thing to say about your mom, but it's obvious she was._

_My parents deny my world, well, our world's existence despite the fact that is staring them in the face. I did love going to school. My parents believe the devil is in the schools and he is working against God. They think he is trying to get children's souls to hell (the eternal fire and damnation kind of hell) using the school systems. They are both extremely religious. And when I say extreme, I mean it. They are terrified of me. I have a first class ticket to hell because I was born a witch. _

_Conventional schools teach language arts (reading, writing, grammar, spelling, etc.), math (addition, subtraction, fractions, division, etc.), science and social studies. Nonzard history and politics and medicines and technology are taught. They also teach art, music, physical education and library._

_I didn't know I was a witch until the school contacted us and told me I was enrolled there. I thought they were playing a prank, but deep down, I think I always knew something was different about me. I could make flowers dance or things move and accidently break things when I was angry._

_Yes, I have heard the rumors about You-Know-Who. I hope he's not back. Do you think he is?_

_Okay, this letter is long enough. I hope I answered your questions. You can ask me whatever you want about nonzards (muggles?), if you wish. _

_Have a Happy Halloween (my family sadly doesn't celebrate, it's "Satan's holiday", didn't you know?),_

_Lindsey_

Draco was having breakfast when the owls came. One was snowy owl that he assumed was his pen pal's owl. He took off the letter as another owl landed near him. It was his mum's owl. She had sent another package of sweets from home. He opened his letter and began to read.

"So, is your pen pal a pureblood, Draco?" Nott asked him.

"Oh," he hadn't talked to them at all about Lindsey and after reading the letter, wasn't sure how to answer him. "Um, well, not exactly." Nott looked surprised. He wasn't certain how he felt about it, but knew there was definitely a chance she was a mudblood, er, muggle-born. Noone in his house would let him live it down if he was conversing with such. He didn't know for sure what her blood was, but he knew one thing: He'd have to say he did.

"What do you mean? You're conversing with a mudblood." Nott looked horrified.

"No, no," He said quickly. Others at the table had turned to him. The pressure was on. "She's a half-blood." Well, it wasn't exactly a lie. She could be a half-blood. While some still looked a bit disgusted, most of those at the table seemed to be satisfied with that answer.

"She?" Nott asked, suspiciously and nudged his shoulder. "A girl, huh? You got a witch for a pen pal." He gave Draco a smirk. "So, is she hot?"

"How would I know? I don't know what she looks like."

"You should ask her to send you a picture."

"I don't think so." He was curious to know what she looked like. He figured she probably felt the same. Suddenly an image of someone similar to Millicent Bulstrode came to mind, only much more disgusting. He shook it out and figured she probably looked better than that.

"Why not?"

"Let it go, Nott."

Draco thought about what Lindsey had written in her letter back to him. So, they called muggles nonzards. This was interesting. Muggle schools there taught you how to read and do mathematics. They also taught muggle stuff. Muggles learning art and music was interesting, he had to admit. At least they were a little cultured. What was physical education? He couldn't believe her parents hated magic so much. No wonder his parents' hated muggles. If most were like Lindsey's, then he could see why. They thought magic was evil.

Draco wrote back to her that night.

_Lindsey, _

_It must be terrible having parents that hate magic so much. I hope things are going better now. You aren't putting your problems on me. Things haven't been so great with my family either. _

_A muggle is someone is someone without magical ability, yes. Nonzards? That's an interesting word. I'll have to remember it. _

_My tutor taught some math, reading and writing skills as well. The rest was magic history and sciences. What do they teach in muggle science and history? We learn about art a little and some music. What is physical education? _

_Yes, while the Ministry of Magic denies it, most of the adults at the school believe it is true. Luckily, you are probably safe being where you are. Then again, who knows if he got too much power? _

_Your parents believe Halloween is Satan's holiday? As in the Devil, Satan? Really? Wow, they are a mid mad. Have a Happy Halloween anyway. _

_P.S You didn't answer one of my questions: Are you allowed to do magic at home since you aren't in a boarding school? I'm curious about that aspect. _

_Draco_

Lindsey's reply to Draco was short when she wrote back to him.

_Draco,_

_I shudder to think of the implications of You-Know-Who coming back for you all. I am safe here for now. At least from him, anyway, but my step-dad is a different story though. I think I fear him more. _

_Physical Education is just exercise, sports and play mostly. Nonzard science teaches about plants, weather, nature, animals, etc. and social studies teaches about nonzard people, geography, important dates and facts, etc. And yes, my parents do believe Halloween belongs to the god of the underworld. _

_Yes, we can do magic at home, but only our homework and anything done on someone else can result in serious penalties. My parents think I can do magic on them, though. It might have slipped my mind to make them think otherwise. _

_Hope you are well (It is freezing here and it's been snowing a lot lately), _

_Lindsey_

Draco nearly spit out his juice at the letter. Slipped her mind, indeed, he thought. The conversations back and forth mostly discussed muggles and their education. Draco found himself feeling less and less bitter toward the idea she could be a muggle-born. He was feeling much more bitter toward her muggle parents though. They seemed like awful people. He felt a little sorry for her, actually.

He found out her family didn't celebrate Christmas, so he sent her a small gift of sweets from Hogsmeade. She sent him a small gift back, thanking him. It was a snow globe that was muggle-made.

"What's that?" His father asked him at Christmas.

Draco looked at the note she left.

_Merry Christmas, Draco. _

_Thanks for the treats. I really appreciated it. I hope you don't mind if I share them with Callie. _

_I hope you like the gift. It's an image of my town. It's muggle-made, but I like them. _

_It's a snow globe. They are fragile and break easy, so be careful. It's made of glass. Turn it upside down and twist the knob a few times. Let it go and turn it over. _

_Happy New Year too,_

_Lindsey_

He turned it over and turned the knob. As he let go and turned it over, he saw the white stuff fall down and a light melody began to play "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen."

"It's a snow globe. My pen pal sent it. It's an image of where she lives."

"It doesn't like Wizard made."

"No, it's muggle-made. She's a half-blood." He said in a hurry to avoid his father's rage.

"Oh."

"I like it. It's kind of cool." He played with the globe the rest of the evening. He was really starting to like his pen pal.

*The next two chapters will be up over the weekend. I've already completed Chapter 4, but I need to edit it and Chapter 5 is in the works.


	4. Chapter 4

_*Short chapter, a sort of calm before the storms to come. Chapter 5 is on its way, tomorrow probably. _

Draco was struggling internally since deciding to receive an international pen pal. All his former ideas, thoughts and prejudices were in question. He was having a very hard time justifying them now. His pen pal could easily be a muggle-born, and he should hate this thought. He should refuse to contact her anymore because of this possibility, yet he didn't want to do that. Instead, he was finding himself curious about her life and her muggle family. Somehow, he was finding his prejudices flawed.

He was a Malfoy, dammit and he belonged to a respected pure-blood family. His parents were Death Eaters, followers of Lord Voldemort and his ideas. He was supposed to tow the party line and do so happily. Before Lindsey, he wouldn't have hesitated. Now, he couldn't fathom the thought. Doing so would be like asking for the death of his pen pal.

In all these tangled thoughts, he began to find himself sympathizing with Granger. Hermione Granger, of all people! He had always teased her and called her a mudblood. Now, he was beginning to regret this and even felt some guilt. Guilt was not an emotion he was used to, at all. That was why, the day after Valentine's, he found himself seeking out Hermione Granger, of all people, after Potions.

"Hermione." He grabbed her arm. She turned and looked a bit horrified and angry.

"What do you want, Malfoy?"

"I" He began. "I wanted to apologize."

"For what?" She asked, then her eyes got wide. "What did you do?"

"What, huh, nothing. Well, I did before. I called you something I shouldn't have and I apologize. You aren't a mudblood. I'm sorry I ever called you that." Hermione said nothing, just looked at him with a mixture of shock and confusion.

"You, you're apologizing for calling me a mudblood?" She said this as if she wasn't sure she quite believed what she was hearing and then she scowled. "Okay, Malfoy, what do you want?"

He should have expected that response. "Nothing at all, Granger. I just felt like I should apologize."

"Why don't I believe that?"

"Because I've been a jerk."

"Did you get hit with a bludger again?" He looked surprised a second.

"No." He chuckled. "My pen pal may be a muggle-born. I guess I'm not feeling so bigoted anymore." Hermione seemed to consider this.

"Fine, then. I accept your apologize. And I guess I should apologize for punching you in the face during third year."

"Don't apologize. I deserved it. See you, Hermione." Draco left and Harry came up to her.

"What was that about?"

"He apologized." She said, still trying to take in what had just happened.

"He, Malfoy apologized to you?" Harry was quite shocked at that news. "For what?"

"For calling me a mudblood." Harry's jaw dropped a little.

"He did? Really? What's the catch?"

"None that I know of, I asked. He just apologized and told me he deserved to be punched in the face."

"What happened to the pure-blood status stuff?"

"He said his pen pal might be muggle-born. I guess he must have taken a liking to the pen pal and doesn't feel comfortable using the word anymore. At least that's my guess." Harry, Ron and Hermione discussed this strange phenomenon the rest of the evening. Draco Malfoy being nice was odd, to say the least.

0o0o0o

March rolled into April and Umbridge was getting worse and worse. With every new letter from Lindsey, he was finding himself more and more concerned for her. The words in her last letter bothered him considerably.

_I think my parents are going off the deep end. Every time Allen looks at me, he starts mumbling. Always stuff about witches and demons and cursed house and cursed child (me, I presume) and the like. He looks completely mad at times. I mean, insane sort of mad, not angry. It's actually scaring me a bit. I've been avoiding him lately. Mom's no better. She actually put a crucifix under my pillow the other night. Obviously it had no effect. I mean, they've always been weird when it came to my witch abilities, but lately they seem even more so and I honestly don't know why. I think the new pastor has been getting to them. He eyes me very suspiciously at church and seems paranoid near me. I wonder what my parents said to him. The church members are the same way towards me. I feel so isolated at home. School is so much better. _

What did she mean by him looking insane and mumbling strange things like that? He couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding in his head. Her being a witch was making them crazy, literally. Draco felt for her and even a bit angry at the muggles who were isolating her so much. Sympathy, who knew Draco had any sympathy in him?

It was less than a week later when he received something strange from his pen pal's owl. It was then that the ominous feeling that had been nagging him came to a sickening reality.

***The next chapter or two will include some brief mentions of violence, just a word of caution**.


	5. Chapter 5

***This chapter does not contain in any violence like I said it would. The next chapter will contain the violence. I decided to split Draco finding out Lindsey is in trouble and the memories.**

Draco saw a small note with two vials of a bluish liquid. It was rather strange. One vial had very little of the liquid and it was labeled "good." The other vial was full and was labeled "bad." He set them down and opened his note. He was sitting in the common room with a few of his housemates. What he read shocked him.

_Draco, _

_I am sorry I am writing this note. Things are beyond terrible right now. My father went too far. I honestly think he was trying to kill me this time. I hexed him when he went berserk and well, I am in trouble. He'll be fine, unfortunately, but I left home. I figure I will be found and I fear the consequences when Allen does find me. I left you two vials in case Allen succeeds in causing my death this time. He and the church members are on a witch hunt after me now. Yes, they've called it a witch hunt, but I've hidden myself quite well, if I do say so. It's terrifying, really. They'd like nothing more than to see me gone for good. My school has me on suspension for the magic incident. Callie is with me, so I'm not alone. God love her heart, I couldn't have asked for a better sister. The vials are my memories. I want you to view them. They will show you the truth about my parents. The bad are so terrible at times, I left you the few good memories that I could recall as well. My life had some good in it. _

_With love and well wishes to you in your life,_

_Lindsey_

Draco's hand shook violently as he read. What had he done to her? He eyed the vials. Theodore Nott was watching Draco.

"Draco? Draco, you all right?"

"My pen pal is in trouble." He said without thinking.

"What? How so?"

"Her step-dad tried to kill her. She used magic on him and is in trouble."

"What?"

"I need to speak to Dumbledore." He said before suddenly remembering Dumbledore was gone."Dammit!" No way was he going to Umbridge. "Never mind." He started to pace. "Professor Snape. He might be able to help. I wonder if he's in his office." Draco snatched the vials and the note and ran to the Potions Professor's door and knocked on it vigorously.

"Come in." Draco entered. "What's the trouble?"

"My pen pal is in trouble."

"How so?"

"She, he, she, here." He said, unable to say it better than the note. He handed it to Snape. As the professor read the note, his face fell.

"She left you those vials. I think you should view them. Dumbledore has a pensieve in his office. I shall retrieve it." He got up and headed to the door. Draco was shaking a little.

"I'll be back, Professor. I know some people who will help." Draco ran off and to the library. Sure enough, he found Hermione there, doing her homework. He ran over to her.

"I need your help." Draco said quickly. "Yours and Potter's. Find him. Bring Weasley if you must, but hurry. Meet me down in Snape's office."

"Wait, hold on. What's wrong?"

He showed her the letter and told her about some of the things Lindsey had said in previous letters on the way back to the Gryffindor Tower.

"We have to help her though. We can't leave her there." Hermione said, clearly upset at what he'd told her.

"Well, what can I do? How can I help her? She lives, what, 5000 miles or something away."

"Maybe they can get her out, their Magic Council or whatever. They can't leave her in such a bad position. She had to defend herself. I would have done the same thing."

"I know, but who can help? Dumbledore is gone. The Ministry won't do a thing about it, I guarantee that much. She's in trouble for the hex. I doubt hers will do anything to help either."

Hermione said the password and got Harry. Ron didn't want to come with Malfoy to Snape's office. Harry wasn't exactly thrilled about it either. Neville was in the room too and Harry enticed Neville to come as well. Draco agreed. "I'll explain on the way, Harry. She left some memories. Draco wants us to view them. He thinks we can help and maybe we can. We have to try."

Harry agreed, but reluctantly. "Snape hates me, so I doubt this will go over well."

"He doesn't hate you." Draco said.

"Yes, he does. I think he's always hated me. I noticed it the first day I got her. He looked angry with me during the sorting ceremony, but I don't know why. I never did anything to him. He's been down my throat ever since. And after the occlumency incident, he's been vile."

"You shouldn't have gone into the pensieve."Hermione said.

"I know, I know, but I did. I never expected to see what I did. I still hate what I saw."

"What are you talking about?"

"Snape had left memories of his in Dumbledore's pensieve during Harry's occlumency lessons. Harry decided to go into the pensieve and Snape is rightfully angry at Harry. Harry saw an incident that upset him a bit."

"Occlumency lessons? I thought you had remedial potions." Harry grimaced. Draco realized that Harry and Snape had been lying. "Why did you need those?" It hit Draco suddenly. "The Dark Lord. He's been trying to in invade your mind, hasn't he?" Harry and Hermione didn't look at Draco. "Answer me."

"He's been trying, yes." Hermione answered. Draco was pondering on what to say to this, when they were at Snape's door.

Inside the office, the pensieve was sitting by Snape's desk, just like when Harry had his occulmency lessons. When Harry entered, Snape met Harry's eyes. Snape gave a snarl. Harry looked away. Professor McGonagall was standing there too.

"I brought them. I think they could help. I want them to view the image with me if that's alright, Professor."

"It's not a problem, Mr. Malfoy. Which vial do you want to look at first?" McGonagall spoke.

"This one." He held up the full vial. "I want to see the bad memories first. There seems to be quite a few of them."

"That's probably best." Draco handed Snape the vial. Snape opened it and poured the contents of the jar into the pensieve. The memories swirled about.

"Okay, then. Let's look at them." Draco eyed the five others.

"You want us to view them, too?" McGonagall said in surprise, pointing to herself and Snape.

"Yes. I think you should." The six of them went over to the pensieve and fell into it two-by-two, bracing themselves for anything they might see.

*_Don't hesitate to tell me what you think so far. _


	6. Chapter 6

*WARNING: this chapter contains references to child abuse and neglect. It's physical violence mostly with some emotional/mental abuse. Some strong language is also involved. Don't be offended. It is there to emphasize some issues that will resurface in later chapters. It's important to the story. I'd never use the word otherwise. I also changed the name of Lindsey's wizard school because I liked it better.

Draco and the others found themselves in the hallway of a large building. Two little girls in white dresses were playing a game with their hands. The two girls couldn't have been more than five years old. The dresses had magenta and blue flowers on them. Both girls wore wreaths on their head with similar colored flowers.

"To see the elephant, elephant, elephant

Jump over the fence, fence, fence.

He jumped so high, high, high

He touched the sky, sky, sky

And didn't come back, back, back

Until the Fourth of July, July, July." They sang, doing some sort of hand jive.

The one girl with black hair in French braids, who was slightly older than the second girl, took a flower out of the basket beside her. The magenta flower started to dance. The younger girl with thick blonde hair watched in fascination.

"Wow, that's so cool. How did you do that?"

"I don't know. It just did it." The girl said, slightly surprised at what had happened.

"Do it again with a blue flower, Lindsey." Lindsey, the dark haired girl was Lindsey, thought Draco, but obviously when she was real young.

"How is this a bad memory?" Hermione asked him in a whisper as if the two girls would notice them.

"I'm not sure." Draco said, wondering the same thing as the blue flower did the waltz. Just then, the door near them banged open. Lindsey clutched the flower in her hand. The look on her face signaled fear. Draco looked at the door. A man with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes was coming toward the girls.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing." They both said quickly. He glared at both of them.

"I'm going to ask again. What were you doing?" He looked threatening.

"Lindsey was playing with the flowers." The other girl said.

"Playing with them? How so?"

"She was making them dance. It was neat."

"Making them dance?" He looked at Lindsey. She sunk into her chair a little. "Show me what you did." Lindsey took a flower from the basket. "Show me!" He demanded. She opened her hand and the flower began to move around. He snatched it from her quickly. "How did you do that?"

"I, I, I don't know."

"Yes, you do. It's one of these strange things you do, isn't it? Isn't it?" His eyes looked vicious.

"I don't know what you mean."

"You know exactly what I mean. You and these bizarre incidents! Making blocks move, jumping off swings and trees and landing perfectly on your feet. How did you do this? Hmm, how?" He was in her face. She was cowering and her eyes were wet.

"I don't know. It was like magic." At that word, he picked up Lindsey by the front of her dress and started to jerk her around.

"Magic? Magic! It was like magic!" He looked a bit like a rabid dog, minus the frothing of the mouth. "There is no such thing as magic!" He let go of her, causing her to fall backward and hit the bench she'd been sitting on. Tears were falling down her face now. "And don't you dare start crying! Get up and buck up! I said get up!" She stood up, trying to hold back her tears. "Stop crying, I said! Get it together and get moving. It's time for the ceremony." When he opened the door, Draco saw the pews and realized they were at a church. This must be when her mother married Allen. He also had a feeling that man was Allen.

When Draco looked at Harry, he noticed Harry grimacing a little. Suddenly the scene transformed and they were on a street in front of a small home that looked like it was falling apart a little. Two girls were playing on the sidewalk in raincoats. The skies were gray above them and it was drizzling a little. The girls were splashing in the puddles and jumping over them. He recognized one of the girls as Lindsey. She was a couple years older now. He guessed maybe six or seven. He now figured the younger girl was probably her sister, Callie.

Draco noticed a woman standing on the porch with a baby, who couldn't have been more than a year old. She looked sour-faced at the girls. He noticed she was watching Lindsey closely. Draco turned back to the girls playing. There was a huge puddle and Callie splashed into it. "Can you jump over it, Lindsey?"

"I can try." Lindsey ran a little and leapt, tumbling in the air magically and landing on her feet a foot away from the puddle.

"That was so cool. I think you should be a gymnast." Draco saw the sour-faced woman with blonde hair like Callie's, tearing over to Lindsey. She turned Lindsey around by the jacket.

"How did you do that? Are you trying to kill yourself?"

"I don't know, but it was fun and I'm fine, Mom."

"What if your sisters try and emulate you?"

"Emulate?" Lindsey asked, too young to understand such a big word.

"Try to do that too! I don't know how you do those weird things, but stop it now!"

"But I don't know how I did it in the first place."

"I don't care!" The woman shook Lindsey around by the coat collar. "You will stop it!"

"You're choking me." Lindsey said, struggling to breathe as the woman wrung the collar against her throat.

"Stop it! Say you will stop it!"

"Let go!"

"Say it!" She demanded angrily.

"Okay! I'll try!"

"You don't TRY, you WILL stop it!"She roared so loud, Draco figured the neighbors at the other end of the street could hear her from inside.

"You're choking me!"

"SAY IT!" A man across the street, who had been cleaning out his gutter, was watching them suspiciously. Her mom let go. "Say it!" She hissed at her in an irritated whisper.

"I'll stop."

"Doing what?" She snapped.

"Weird things."

"Good. Now, both of you, in the house!" The two girls scrambled for the house. The scene transformed. They were inside a home this time. Allen and Lindsey's mom looked very angry. Lindsey, who was probably about 8 or 9 now, was sitting in a chair across from them, looking guilty. Children could be heard in the background.

"She looks guilty. I wonder what she did." Harry said to Draco, but he was smirking.

"I don't know, honest." Lindsey said, trying to take away the tension building.

"The teacher on duty and Elizabeth said you did it."

"She was being mean to April again. I didn't do anything to her. I don't know what I happened, but I couldn't have done it. How could I?" Lindsey seemed confused, as if unsure what happened herself. The tension in the room just then could have been cut with a knife.

"Really? That's funny and I suppose Elizabeth's hair just magically turned purple, did it? Right after you were arguing with her. What a coincidence." Lindsey bit her lip, and Draco realized she was trying not to smile. Draco heard McGonagall stifle a laugh herself. Hermione smiled.

"It actually was." Lindsey said.

"Was what?"

"Like magic. One minute her hair was blonde and the next it was purple."

"You did it!" Her mom spat out in frustration.

"How? I didn't have any paint or anything. It just happened."

"You tell us how."

"But I don't know how. It just happened. I told you this."

"You are grounded."

"But I didn't do anything." Suddenly, Allen took the belt he was holding and smacked her side with it. She looked shocked.

"You are a liar!" He smacked her again.

"No, I'm not. I couldn't have done it, honest." He hit her again, but harder. Tears were piercing her eyes now.

"You are a liar! You turned her hair purple and now you are lying about it."

"But I couldn't have done it. I didn't have anything to dye it with. Her hair just changed, it was like magic." Allen winced at that word.

"Magic isn't real and I'm sick of hearing you use that word!" He smacked her again in the stomach. She recoiled a little in pain. "Now go to your room. No dinner tonight. GO!" She got up and ran down the hallway. The scene transformed.

Lindsey and Callie were at a table. It appeared to be a dining room that was next to a kitchen. Lindsey was probably about 10. Callie had to be 8 or 9. There was another girl who was about five and a little boy about three years old there too. A woman was in the kitchen holding a baby boy about a year old. She was cooking something. Allen was making something in a blender. He was adding green food coloring to whatever it was. The two little kids there were watching with intense interest. Callie and Lindsey were sitting back a little.

The man had his face over the open blender. "You too, get some paper towels. We'll need them. Make yourself useful for once. Behave like ladies should."

"What, like your slave?" Allen looked at her.

"For that smartass comment, you can forget about dinner. And no, now slaves. Just submissive."

"Oh, there's a difference? I thought they were the same thing." For a ten-year-old, she had some wit, thought Draco.

"You better chuck that attitude. No respectable man would want to marry a bitch like you who talks to him like that." Draco was shocked at Allen calling his ten-year-old stepdaughter a bitch. Even more surprising to him was that Lindsey seemed unfazed by this. It hit him that this was probably not the first time he'd spoken to her like that. He also couldn't believe that her mom was standing there, not saying a thing. In fact, she looked happy. It disgusted him, to say the least.

"I may have a hard time finding a good man for you to marry."

"I can find one myself one day."

"I'm the adult male and it is my responsibility to find one for you."

"It's not the 1800s anymore; I can do that job without your help."

"It's the father's job as a respectable Christian."

"Since you aren't my father or a respectable Christian, I guess I have to take the job upon myself." Allen's nostrils flared at that, his eyes looking at her fiercely. He looked ready to pounce on her like a tiger ready to maim its prey. As he got up, she cowered a little and suddenly the blender under his face turned on and the green liquid flew all over his face, the table, the floor and the other children. Callie's eyes grew wide. Lindsey covered her mouth, stifling giggles. Allen wiped away the liquid from his eyes.

Allen turned to her with a murderous look. "You did that, didn't you, you little freak!"

"No." She said in defiance and uncertainty. Draco figured she wasn't sure if she had or not. He knew it was probably more accidental magic, like the purple hair incident. Allen leapt out of his chair, knocking it backward. He charged at her. She was trembling. Draco felt himself trembling a little too. He knew this wasn't going to end well. He looked at the others. Harry looked pained. Hermione shut her eyes. She didn't want to see what was coming. Neville's fists were clenched and he looked terrified. McGonagall looked lived and horrified. Even Snape appeared to be cringing a little, which was surprising.

Allen kicked the chair Lindsey was sitting in and knocked her to the floor. He grabbed her by the ponytail and pulled her up, dragging her into the living room. He started to shake her by her hair.

"You did this! You caused the blender to explode, didn't you?" He come across like the rapid dog again.

"No, I" She started, looking at him terrified. He shook her by her hair. "Ow, you're hurting me!"

"You did this! You did it! I've had enough of these incidents of yours! I'm sick of your pranks!"

"It wasn't a prank. I wasn't near the blender!" He jerked her some more. "Ow, stop it! Please?" She was pleading now.

"You should be afraid. I ought to pound your miserable, pathetic hide you worthless little shit!" Suddenly, Allen, who was a rather large man, took Lindsey by her hair, swung her and threw her across the room. She hit the wall and fell to the floor. Draco heard Hermione and McGonagall gasp out loud. Draco was on edge a second because Lindsey didn't move. He feared Allen had knocked her unconscious. She stirred a second later and looked up to Allen towering over her. "Get up, you stupid bitch! I said get up!" She started to get up, but once she was sitting up, he kicked her in the chest with great force, knocking her over again. She yelped in pain, tears streaming down her face now. Draco wanted to run to her, but knew he couldn't help her. It was only a memory.

Allen grabbed her by the arm and flung her against the wall in the hallway. Callie was screaming now and the two little children were both screaming and crying. Allen punched Lindsey in the face and Draco heard a pop that didn't seem good. She let an ear-splitting cry. He looked over at Lindsey. Her jaw was bleeding and she was holding her nose. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. She let go of her nose for a second and he saw it was bent unnaturally. He had broken her nose. Her eyes were turning black already. Allen looked at her for a second.

"That should teach you not speak to me with such disrespect!" Callie ran over as Allen left the room, looking proud at what he'd done. Draco had to fight the urge to go and punch the man in the face himself. It was just a memory though. He couldn't actually do that. Callie had her arm around Lindsey as she sobbed. Suddenly, Allen whisked around and came back at them. Draco's stomach lurched. He came at Callie and kicked her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her.

"Don't comfort her! Don't be a bitch like her!"

"I'd rather be like Lindsey than you." Callie said defiantly. Allen punched her in the face too. Her eye started to swell. He left this time and didn't come back. The two girls went into the bedroom nearby and the scene changed again. They were back in the living room. Lindsey was dressed in robes, carrying a bag and a broom.

"I will not allow her to learn how to do witchcraft. It is against God to know such things. The Bible says so!" Her mom screeched.

"Silence. It is not a matter of choice. She must learn to use the magic she was born with in a controlled manner. This is not up for debate. Come, child." As they started toward the fireplace, Allen grabbed Lindsey by her foot, knocking her to the floor, causing her broom to fly across the room and hit a vase, breaking it.

"Get out! Out, all you freaks! Out now!" He was yelling at the top of his lungs now. The man grabbed Lindsey and called out.

"Accio, Broom." The broom flew over to them. Lindsey looked impressed.

"Can I do that?"

"Not now." They disappeared into the fireplace. "Midnight Sun Academy!"

The scene transformed once more. They were back at the house. Lindsey was working on some homework. Allen and Lindsey's mother came over to see what she was doing.

"Can I help you?"

"What are you doing? I asked you clean up your side of the bedroom."

"I will. I just want to finish my homework." Lindsey took out her wand and a feather and chanted a spell. The feather came up on and was floating in the air. "I did it! Finally!" She saw them both looking petrified. Allen made a grab for the feather a bit fearfully; likely assuming it might curse him. He took it and tried to make a grab for her wand. When he did, it backfired and shot him across the room. The look on Lindsey's face told Draco she had not known that could happen.

Lindsey's mom ran to Allen. "I don't need your help, Grace." He got up and went after Lindsey, snatching her book. He started to tear it up.

"No, stop! It's my schoolbook! Stop it!"

"Filthy trash! Devil's books! No good, worthless trash!"

"You can't do that!"

"I just did!"

"I can repair it, you know? With magic." Allen turned her, with a mad expression on his face. He got in her face.

"There's no such thing as magic! That school is no more magic than I am a nigger!" Lindsey's expression turned to horror at that last word.

"That's a terrible thing to say!" She spat out, clearly livid he'd used such a vulgar term.

Draco knew that mudblood was a terrible word in the wizarding world. That term Allen used must have been despicable. "What does that mean?" He asked out loud.

"It a degrading term used to offend those of black skin color." McGonagall answered him.

"I can say whatever I please in my house! As I was saying, that school is teaching you to go the way of the devil!"

"No, it's teaching me magic and how to use my ability!"

"You aren't magic and there is no magic ability!"

"He sat here and transformed a chair into a dog. You saw him!"

"It was a trick of the eyes. How do you think magicians do their odd tricks? They mess with your eyes and in turn make your brain think it was magic. Your school is evil and if you keep learning there, you will end up burning in hell with the other minions of Satan."

"It is real. I go to the school. I can do magic."

"No, you can't. They are tricking you."

"You're scared." Lindsey blurted out.

"What did you say?"

"You're scared. It scares you because it is real. You're afraid." Allen advanced on her.

"Scared, am I? You think so."

"I know so. I can do something you can't. I'm more powerful than you are and it scares you." Allen looked irate and Draco feared him hitting her. "My ability to do magic scares you, yet it doesn't bother you to bully others and hurt people in any way. You think it's fine to say such terrible things and will do anything to get your way, no matter who you harm in the process. You think that's what Jesus would do? You think he'd want you on his side! I'm not the one going to hell, _you_ are!" At that, Allen lunged across the table at her and grabbed her by the throat.

Allen's eyes met hers with rage pouring out of them. "I am not going to hell! I have been saved, unlike you. You will perish!"

"I doubt God wants you on his side. You haven't repented for your sins. You think he'll want you with him forever when you've tried to choke me to death!"

"Don't you pretend to be God! You have no right to that! You are an evil bitch! God will throw in the fire himself!"

"You are the one who needs to stop pretending you know what God wants. You are the evil person, not me!"

Allen clutched her throat harder. She started to gasp a little and gagged once.

"Thou shall not kill!" Lindsey said. "Remember that part of the ten commandments?" She said as she tried to catch her breath. Lindsey grabbed her wand and pointed it at him. "Let go of me! I'll do it!"

"Kill me? You are a hypocrite!"

"No, not kill you. I wouldn't do that without being forced. I'm not you! I don't hit others for fun, like you do! I will curse you though! Now, let go!" He didn't and she mumbled something he couldn't hear. Allen was flown backward and into the couch. Lindsey rubbed her throat, gasping for air. The scene ended.

There were a few more scenes of an angry Allen. They all involved her doing magic. One included an exorcism by a priest that had clearly produced no results. The man said she was fine and she wasn't possessed. Another was in a church and people refused to talk or even touch Lindsey, claiming she might harm them, even the Pastor of the church. She didn't take anything lying down. He suddenly found himself liking Lindsey more and more with each new image. The last few scenes were bits and pieces of Allen, saying strange things to her, like she'd said in her letter.

The last scene came and they were in a bedroom. It had three other beds in it. Lindsey was reading one of her school books on her bed. The door banged open. Allen was standing in the doorway with a pillow in his hands.

"What is it now?" He didn't answer. He looked insane, literally. His eyes were wild and his hair in every direction. He strolled up to her and flipped her on her back.

"This ends now. No more. Witches cannot exit."

"What?"

"You have to go."

"Where?"

"To be with your master, Satan." Lindsey looked at him like he was crazy and he clearly was.

"Satan is not my master. You are talking mad, you know that? Maybe you need to see a physiatrist. They have pills you can take for that."

"No. I don't need help, you do. No one can help you anymore, though. You need to go."

"You've lost your mind." She chuckled slightly, because he sounded so absurd and because she was clearly frightened a little by this behavior. He abruptly thrust the pillow over her face. She began to frantically push it away.

"You need to leave here. You are a threat."

"Then let me go somewhere else! Don't kill me!" She yelled, pushing him off her a little.

"You are threat to the world!"

"I am not!" He put the pillow on her face again and held it tight. She was suffocating. Suddenly, there was a bang and flash of red light. Allen flew across the room. Lindsey had her wand in her hand. She had thrown him off her. Lindsey tossed the pillow aside and jumped up, catching her breath. She aimed her wand at him and yelled out, "Petrificus Totalis!" He froze. She anxiously began to pull clothing out of drawers and into a suitcase. She was leaving. A note showed up and yelled at her for producing two spells that evening. The school contacted her as she throwing her books and other items into the suitcase. Her wand was still in her grip. Callie came rushing in just then.

"What happened?"

"He tried to kill me!"

"What?"

"He tried to kill me!"

"Where are you going?"

"Anywhere that's not here."

"I'm coming with you!"

"No, Callie. It's not safe."

"And I'm not safe here. What if he goes after me next?"

"He won't."

"He might. I'm not his daughter. He doesn't care about me either. He might take his anger out on me." Callie was dragging out her suitcase out.

"Okay. I could use the company." Both girls finished packing as her mom came in.

"Is she gone, Allen?" Draco was shocked once more. Her mother was in on it? Her own mother? He was livid at this.

Lindsey pointed the wand at her as she came in. She looked terrified of her daughter and the wand. The two girls walked around her and when Grace came after them, Lindsey yelled out the body-bind jinx.

"Awesome." Callie said. "I wish I could do that."

"I'm sorry you can't." Lindsey seemed like she meant that statement. They left the home and Lindsey got out her broomstick. She put featherweight and shrinking charms on their suitcases and hooked them to the broomstick. She mounted the stick. "Get on and hold tight to my waist."

"You want me fly on that thing." Callie looked a bit pale.

"You can stay here." Callie hoped on the broomstick without any further hesitation, held Lindsey tight and shut her eyes as they flew off into the night sky. The scene transformed briefly to show an old, rusty cabin with them inside. Her hiding place, Draco thought. The images died.

The six of them stepped out of the pensieve silently. It was quiet in the room. No one said anything, still taking it all in. "So, what can we do to help her?" Harry asked, looking determined. Draco and Hermione nodded in agreement. Neville nodded after them. Something had to be done. They had to save her.

"Don't you want to see the other memories?" McGonagall asked, holding up the small vial as Snape put the memories in the pensieve back into the other vial. Draco nodded.

"Yes, I probably should."

_*This was a long chapter, I know. It took almost 10 full pages with a 10 point font. The next one should be shorter. This was a hard chapter to write. The next will be good memories because I need to think about happy things after this. _


	7. Chapter 7

_*I wanted to finish this sooner, but I've been working on my other story. I had a long weekend and was hoping to catch up with a few chapters on both stories, but I was busier than intended and I have not been feeling well. My health has been acting up like crazy and I blame the dry, hot and humid weather. Anyway, another long chapter, but it is not quite as long as the last one. _

The six of them were back in the pensieve and they were outside of a pale blue building on the top of a hill. Draco could see a large bridge in the distance and over a body of water. It was drizzling out and the skies were gray. He saw two girls outside. He recognized one as Lindsey. She was probably about four at the most. She was climbing a tree in a yard in front of a small, tattered building.

"Lindsey, you're going too high. Mom's gonna be mad. We aren't supposed to climb the trees."

"I'm fine." Suddenly, the branch she was on cracked. She tried to back up quickly, but it snapped and the branch fell, taking her with it. She screamed, but tumbled magically in the air and landed on her feet from 20 feet in the air. She looked shocked. Callie's eyes were wide in surprise.

"That was so cool. Can you do that again?" At that moment, a woman came running to them. It was Lindsey's mother. Draco clenched his fists.

"What happened?"

"Lindsey fell out of the tree, but landed on her feet. It was cool."

"Dear heavens, didn't I tell you not to climb this tree?"

Lindsey rocked back and forth on her feet, not looking at her mother. "Maybe once or twice."

"And why did you climb it?"

"I wanted to, I guess. I like to climb trees."

"Well, don't! You're going to give me a heart attack!" She shut her eyes. "Come inside."

Draco was a bit confused. How was this a good memory? It wasn't a bad memory, but it wasn't a good one either. As the scene changed, it hit him. It was the first time she'd done anything magic. Her magic had kicked in when she feared falling to the ground.

In the next scene, the skies were gray again and the air was cool and windy. He saw Lindsey with a man. She was flying a kite. They were at a park. The man had blonde hair like Lindsey's mother.

"Wow, that's high, kiddo. You're doing great!"

"Thanks, Uncle Scott." It was her uncle. A tall, brunette woman was sitting on a tablecloth with Callie.

"Is it my turn?" Callie asked.

"Sure, kid. Reel in the kite, Lindsey. It's Callie's turn." Lindsey reeled in the kite and gave to Callie without a second thought.

"Get it up high, Callie." Callie got the kite up high, but not quite as high as Lindsey had. After a short bit of time, Callie wanted to play something else.

"Okay." The man thought and then smiled. "Hide and seek?"

"Yeah!" They cried.

"Well, go hide." He covered his eyes and started to count. The girls ran off to hide. "Twenty. Here I come." He got up and started to look for them. They played the game for a long time, the girls squealing with excitement each time he found them and chased them back to the tablecloth. Finally, the scene transformed. They were at a beach.

Lindsey and her sister were building a sand castle. "It looks great, girls." The brunette woman from the scene before said with a smile. The man from the previous scene was next to her, holding her hand. They were walking along the short, letting the waves rush over their bare feet.

After the castle was finished, they began to play in the ocean. When a wave came at them, they ran back to the shore, trying to beat the wave coming at them. At times, they didn't make it and the waves crashed over their feet. They squealed with delight and excitement no matter whether the waves hit them or not.

Draco found himself smiling, thinking about a time when his family went on holiday to the ocean. He couldn't recall where it was though. He remembered doing something similar, running at the waves and back again. He had been quite young then though. He might have been Lindsey's age in the memory, which was about six or so.

The scene transformed again and Draco found himself in front of the small home he'd seen in the bad memories. The skies were gray once again, but it wasn't raining. He saw Lindsey standing there, hoping on the sidewalk. She had a bag on her back. She kept looking up the road anxiously. She was waiting for something. Sure enough, he saw something yellow approaching. It was a yellow bus. He could not recall ever seeing a yellow bus before.

Finally, the bus approached and he saw that it writing on the side of it. "Hoquiam School District." School? A school bus, that's what it was. Lindsey mentioned she used to get to and from school on a school bus when she went to a muggle school. She said it was a just a big yellow bus. This must be it. Lindsey got on, climbing steps up into it and Draco saw lots of seats inside.

"I think we should get on." Neville said. They all climbed in behind her. There a few other children on the bus who looked Lindsey's age. Some seemed very nervous. Suddenly, he heard a swooshing sound and a screech. As he turned, the bus pulled forward, knocking them all about. All six of them grabbed the seat closest to them.

"I think we should sit down. Probably near the back." Hermione said. They agreed and headed to the back. As they all took a seat, the bus stopped again and another child got on. A few more stops and starts and finally they were pulling in front of a large building.

"What's that?" Neville asked.

"It's a school, Neville. We must be at her school." Hermione answered.

"Okay, children, come along. Your teacher will be outside to greet you and take you to class, ok?" The man said kindly. It was clear he was trying to ease the scared little ones. They children got off and the six of them followed suit. Two women were outside and they gathered the children and headed into the school. The scene hadn't changed, so they followed Lindsey inside. Draco stared at the building in awe. It was completely different from Hogwarts. It was warm and inviting and looked nothing like the castle.

They nearly lost Lindsey and her teacher in the excitement of the place. They had to pause while a group of children, who were a couple years older than Lindsey was in the memory, passed by in a line.

"Hand on your hip, the other to your lip. Remember, we are always quiet in the hallway." The children all had one hand on their hip and the other hand on their mouths.

They found Lindsey again just as she was entering a classroom. The door said "Welcome to Kindergarten!" with decorated lettering. When he entered, he was surprised. He expected dull and boring and found a brightly colored room with lots of toys and charts. There was a green board at the front of the room. There were tables with chairs just the right size for children who were Lindsey's age in the memory. The chairs were different colors and they each had a name tag on them. There was a chart of the alphabet, an entire corner with books galore and even some squishy looking small things. He wondered what they were for and heard the teacher comforting a crying child. Lindsey put her bag up in a locker with her name on it and then found her seat.

More and more children arrived. There was loud buzzing sound that made him jump.

"Okay boys and girls, take your seats, please?" the children sat down. "Wonderful! Thank you!" She was smiling. "Good morning, children." The teacher called roll and suddenly the scene transformed again.

They were outside the school, on a playground. Draco looked around for Lindsey.

"There she is." Harry said, pointing to the concrete. They walked over. Two other girls were with Lindsey. They were playing some sort of game he'd never seen before. It was drawn with what looked like chalk and each square had a number on it. One by one, each girl threw a rock on the numbers. He watched them play this strange game. They threw it on the three and hoped on one foot; skipping the number the rock was on. Other children were playing with a ball nearby, bouncing it on the ground. They threw it up into a pole with a board at the top and a net. It was all slightly fascinating to Draco and Neville, who'd never seen such things.

"It's fascinating!" He said out loud. "Did I just think a muggle game was fascinating? Dear lord, I'm becoming Arthur Weasley!" Draco said without thinking. He didn't realize he'd said it out loud until he heard laughter. He saw McGonagall smile and Snape give a sneer.

The girls played until they reached ten.

"Race you to the swings!" They then raced for the contraption in the corner and each sat on a seat things held up by two long chains hooked to a bar over them. They started to swing, going quite high and they jumped off. Lindsey jumped off last, tumbling in the air and was the only one of the three to land on her feet, upright.

Draco was standing next to Snape and he could have sworn he saw an almost pained and sad look on his face as Lindsey landed. His face changed back to a scowl so quick though, Draco thought he might have just imagined it. A sad Snape? That didn't seem right. An angry Snape, certainly, but a sad Snape was odd. What would he have to be sad about anyway and why would Lindsey jumping off the swings trigger that? No, he had to have imagined it.

Draco heard a whistle and girls ran to the concrete. It was very noisy. "Boys and girls! One, two, three, all eyes on me!" She called out and the children all turned to her.

"One, Two, All eyes on you!" They called back. He thought the saying seemed silly, but it worked. She had their attention. They walked back into the school.

The scene changed again.

They were outside this time in some thick trees. A log home could be seen in the distance. Lindsey was wearing a long sleeved shirt with shorts and Callie was wearing a t-shirt and a long, jean skirt. Muggle attire was different. The sun was shining. The two girls were running in and around the trees as fast they could. All of a sudden, as they coming into the clearing near the log home, a wizard in blue robes appeared. Both girls jumped, clearly startled by the sudden appearance.

"Hello, there. How are you girls today?" Neither said a weird, confused by this and a bit nervous.

"Oh, I must introduce myself. I'm Professor Reins. I am the superintendent of the Midnight Sun Academy for Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Lindsey's grew wide and she looked both confused and suspicious. "What do you want?"

"I am here to give you your letter." He handed it to her. She looked at. "Well, open it." She did and read the letter.

"Accepted into the school?" She took a step back, looking afraid. "But I'm not a witch or wizard. I'm just normal. Witches and Wizards aren't real. They are just in the stories."

He chuckled. "But you are a witch. Only boys are wizards, dear. You were born one." She looked even more scared.

"But I'm not evil!"

"My dear, wizards and witches aren't evil." He paused. "At least not usually. Certainly some humans, whether wizards or not go bad or off the deep end, but in general, they are kind. The school will help you control your magic and teach you how to use it properly."

"I can't be a witch. I have no magic ability."

"Don't you?" He said, challenging her a little. "Have you ever done something strange? Made something happen that just seemed like magic? Things you couldn't explain?" Lindsey thought about this and suddenly, her eyes grew wide.

"So, you mean, when I turned Elizabeth's hair purple, and when the blender exploded and when the legs under Jimmy's chair vanished and when I," she paused. "That was all magic? Real magic?" Her eyes lit up when he nodded.

"I didn't mean to do those things though." She said, looking guilty.

"Oh course you didn't, child. It was accidental magic."

"I still don't believe it. How can magic exist? It's always just been part of books. I don't understand."

The man pointed a wand. "What is that?" She asked.

"A wand."

"A wand?" She asked and looked at Callie.

"Will I get one?" He nodded. "Will Callie get to come too?" The man got quiet.

"I'm afraid she's not a witch, but that doesn't mean she won't do great things. Yes, I can see great things from her too. Some people help nonzards in the nonzard world and that will be her calling. You will be here to help the wizarding world." The man pointed his wand at a stump nearby and said something that clearly confused the girls and then they both jumped back.

The stump had changed into a piglet. "How did you do that?" Callie asked.

"Magic, my dear, magic. Are you convinced?" The girls nodded.

"Lindsey will be able to do that?"

"One day, yes." The girls looked at each other.

"That will be so cool, Lindsey. You'll have to show me when you do."

"I will. I believe you. I want to go. When do I start?"

"The end of August. Let's go have talk with your parents.

"Oh, Lindsey, this is so exciting. You'll get to go to school after all. I wish I could come."

"Me too, Callie. Me too." They walked behind the man to the small log home. The scenes died. Once again, everyone left the pensieve. Draco felt more determined than ever. Now that he'd seen the good memories she'd left, he wanted to help her. He couldn't let her die. She needed his help, their help. They could help, they had to help.

"So, what can we do to help her?" Once again, Harry, Neville and Hermione nodded in agreement.

"We have to help her. She'll die without our help." Hermione said.

"Children, there is not much we can do, honestly." McGonagall answered.

"So, you're going to just give up. Leave her there to die." Harry said, looking angry.

"I really don't know what we can do, children."

"We need to rescue her." Neville said. "I know we can do it, but we'll need your help. Dumbledore can't help and Umbridge could care less."

"Yes, we'll go and get her and bring her back here."

"We can't kidnap a child and bring her to another country." Snape butted in.

"The authorities there won't help her. They will just take her into a foster home. We talked about it before. She said they'd just take her away and split up her family and she'd never see them again. I'm sure the ministry or whatever over there will understand and I'm sure her school won't care. You all have to help."

"I am volunteering myself out of this." Snape said and started to sit down, but McGonagall grabbed him by the arm.

"I am volunteering you in. We are the adults. I think we have to help."

"You have lost some marbles if you think I want to plot a rescue mission to the other side of the globe."

"I have lost some marbles, but so have you. You are coming and you will help me escort the children safely."

"I'm not going to be able to get out of this, am I?"

"Absolutely not! I am not taking four children to the other side of the planet and five on the return by myself. Consider it a free vacation. Lord knows you need one."

"You are perfectly capable on your own."

"Severus," He glared at her bitterly. Draco hated when the man gave his crooked sneers, but McGonagall didn't even flinch. It was quiet.

"Fine, Minerva. You win. I'll help you escort the brats." The children's faces lit up a little. They really were going to help her.

"Children, you must go to your dorms. Professor Snape and I will work on a plan. Meet us in the Library at 9AM on the dot, understand?" They all nodded and left the room, murmuring with excitement and nervous anticipation. Draco bid them good-night and headed down for the Slytherin dorms while they headed up to Gryffindor tower. They all needed their rest. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

_*__**A/N**__: The "hand on your hip, the other on the lip" and the "One, two, three, all eyes on me: One, two, all eyes on you" is something I used when I was originally going to be an elementary teacher (I decided against it later, it was too much pressure for me). The little ones responded well to it. I can't take credit for it being something I invented though. I learned it from a wonderful second grade teacher I observed. I thought I would add that bit to Lindsey's school memories (which were happy memories for her)._


	8. Chapter 8

_*I wish I could have finished this part earlier. I got really ill for a couple days and didn't feel like doing much of anything. I am doing a bit better, but still not fully back to normal. I can finally swallow food that's not bread or applesauce again (yeah)! Anyway, enjoy. I feel like I stopped just when the action was about to happen. I wasn't intending to leave a cliffhanger dangling for so long. _

The next morning, there were seven of them in the library. Ron had decided to come along this time. Draco figured that Hermione and Harry had told him what they were doing and he couldn't resist not being involved this time.

"We have spoken to Wizarding authorities in the United States about this situation. The Principal of Lindsey's school is willing to let her come here as long as we can host her at this school. As the Deputy Headmistress, I have agreed to allow this."

"What about Umbridge? And Fudge?" Harry asked.

"This is not their decision." McGonagall answered with sincerity. "Ms. Rink is not under Fudge's authority and the rules specify that I can allow this arrangement under certain circumstances. This is one case that will allow for my authority to overrule Umbridge and Fudge. As long as Bartholomew Turner agrees to this and he has."

"Who's Bartholomew Turner?"

"The President of the Wizards' World in the United States, Mr. Weasley." Ron shrugged. "Now, we flooed him the memories and Mr. Turner and Mr. Reins have relinquished custody of Lindsey and are informing muggle authorities of the situation."

"But, they'll split her family up. It's not what she wanted."

"It's beyond my control, Mr. Malfoy. It's the law of both Wizards and Muggle alike. I'm afraid Mr. Turner feels that her muggle siblings are not safe in that home. Muggle authorities will speak with Ms. Rink's family and they will be the ones to handle the situation. I am sorry. I am sure they will be fine."

Draco sighed. "Fine, but what about Lindsey? Are we going to get her?"

"Yes, this evening. We have arranged for an international portkey. Now, we will all meet back here at 8PM. Off to class, here are your notes excusing you. You got in trouble and were being reprimanded. You had used some of Fred and George's stink bombs. Draco caught you. I think that's believable."

Draco and the others looked at her with surprise. McGonagall had conjured up a lie and a good one at that. None of them thought she had it in her to lie. "Go, off with you."

0o0o0o

Draco watched the clock as he worked on some homework in his common room. Finally, it showed 7:45PM and he got up and went up to the library.

Hermione and Neville were already there when he arrived at the door. McGonagall was there too, looking like her stern self. It wasn't long before Harry and Ron arrived, followed by Snape.

"I shouldn't have to tell anyone how to use a portkey, right?" Snape said to them, speaking in his usual snarl.

They all shook their heads.

"Okay, we are going out to Hagrid's hut. The portkey is there. If anyone asks, you are all in detention. Even Mr. Malfoy, understand?" They all nodded to McGonagall and quietly walked through the castle. Umbridge wasn't around.

Finally, they were at Hagrid's hut. There was a rusty tin can on the ground that Draco assumed was the portkey.

"Okay, on the count of three everyone will grab for the portkey at once. Don't hesitate, just grab it. Ready. One, two, three." Seven hands reached fort he can and suddenly Draco felt the familiar tug near his naval and they were suspended in the air. The dizzying feeling lasted for a long time. He guessed it was because of the long distance they were traveling.

Suddenly, he felt a cold sensation on his neck and up his sleeves. It was so cold it stung. He opened his eyes and realized he was lying in snow. He sat up and saw the others doing the same. He could see his breath because the air was so cold. Professors Snape and McGonagall were on their feet.

"Are we in the United States?" Ron asked.

"No, we are in Africa." Snape answered. Ron's cheeks turned pink in embarrassment.

"Where are we at? At her house or her school?" Neville asked. There was nothing but trees around them. It was quiet except for the noise of animals.

"We are at her school. They will take us to Ms. Rink."

"Hello, there. You must be Professor McGonagall. Professor Reins." A man with coal black hair wearing robes had approached them.

"Yes, pleased to meet you." They shook hands.

"Likewise. And you must be Professor Snape. Pleasure to meet you."

"Yes, delighted." Snape answered, but shook the man's hand.

"Well, Welcome to the United States of America and to the Land of the Midnight Sun."

"Why do they call it that?" Ron asked.

"Honestly, Ron. It's because of the location of Alaska. They get as much as 23 hours of daylight in the summer months." Hermione answered.

"Really? That's awesome."

"Not when you are trying to sleep and the sun is still shining brightly through your windows. I do need heavier curtains." The man winked at Ron. "Well, we best get to the task at hand. Ms. Rink is not far from here. We'll walk." They followed the man.

"She is in a cabin with her sister. I let her stay there. She wants to keep her sister safe and has asked if I could arrange for a friend to take her sister in while she is at your school. We have made some arrangements and that's we will do after we retrieve Ms. Rink. She's a brilliant witch. You won't be disappointed with her at your school. I am sad to see her leave, but she will be much safer there."

"Hopefully. It is believed that You-Know-Who has come back." McGonagall said.

"Yes, we have heard the rumors. Your Ministry seems quite determined to squelch that knowledge."

"Yes. They are quite adamant." The three adults spoke for a bit before the man stopped abruptly.

"There it is." Draco saw an old cabin up ahead. That was where Lindsey was. He was going to meet his pen pal in person.

As they approached, Snape suddenly stopped.

"What's the matter?"

"Something is following us." Draco looked around, but saw nothing. Then he saw some brown sticks in the air. Neville had apparently seen them too and gave a little scream of fright. Draco looked again and saw a massive animal attached to the sticks.

"It's just a moose, Neville." Hermione reassured him.

"Right."

The man knocked and a second later, Draco saw her. It was the girl from the memories with black hair.

"Hi, Professor." Another girl showed up behind her. It was her sister.

"Well, come on out." They did. "Lindsey, this is Professor McGonagall." McGonagall smiled and put up her hand in acknowledgement. "And Professor Snape." Snape nodded to her. "They are teachers at Hogwarts. They will be your teachers when you get there later." Lindsey smiled.

"And these are some of the students."

"I'm Hermione Granger."

"Neville Longbottom."

"Ron Weasley."

"Harry Potter." Lindsey looked at him curiously for a second before turning to Draco.

"Draco Malfoy." Lindsey's eyes lit up.

"Draco?" He smiled with a nod. She smiled back. "You saw the memories?" He nodded again. "You saved me?"

"Well, I, had some help." At that, Lindsey ran to him and threw her arms around him.

"Thank you!" She let go. "I, I, thought I would be dead. Is Hogwarts a nice school? Will I like it?"

"You'll love it." Neville said, but Lindsey noticed he eyed the greasy-haired Professor nervously.

"I can't wait. I'm a bit nervous though. I hate starting new schools."

Just then, there was a strange clicking sound. "You won't be going anywhere." Everyone turned and there stood the man from the memories Draco had seen. Allen had something in his hands. Hermione and Harry looked at him nervously. Lindsey looked horrified.

"Thought I wouldn't be able to find you with these freaks protecting you, did ya?"

"Sir, put that gun down. There is no need for this." Professor Reins said.

"Mind your own damn business, you freak!" Allen pointed the gun at Callie. "You, thinking you can run away. You ought to become one of them." Allen put the gun up and Lindsey ran in front of Callie.

"NO! Don't touch her!" Allen gave a menacing grin. The three professors had their wands out at Allen. He laughed maniacally.

"You think I am afraid of stupid wand!" At that, he turned to Lindsey and pushed something. There was loud noise. The birds on the trees flew off in sudden fright and other animals nearby quickly disappeared, making terrified squeals. The next thing Draco saw was Lindsey grabbing her shoulder and heard her screaming. She fell down. Callie screamed in horror.

Lindsey had felt something hit her shoulder hard, piercing her. It hurt like hell, causing her scream in pain. The force had knocked her off balance.

"LINDSEY!" Callie cried out. The three professors spoke at once, knocking Allen off his feet, stunned. Draco ran to Lindsey.

"What happened?" He asked. The professors had arrived. Lindsey let go of her shoulder and Draco could see blood covering her hand and her shoulder. It was a horrifying site.

"He, he, shot me. He shot me." Her lower lip began to tremble.

"It's okay. We can fix it." The three professors began to do some spells and wave their wands.

"Ow!" She cried out.

"Stay still!" Snape said. "I know it hurts, but you must stay still!" She did. Finally, they stopped and all that was left was a scar. Even her hand was clean.

"Thanks." She said with a shy grin.

"Come on, let's get Callie to the safe spot and then we will get you to away from here. I'll fix the man later." Reins said. Draco helped Lindsey up.

"Oh." She felt dizzy.

"It's a side effect of the spell and the loss of blood. It will pass shortly." They took another portkey away. Callie thought it was awesome. She'd never traveled that way before.

"It's too bad I can't do that more often."

"I know. Well, this is good-bye."

"No. Not good-bye. A farewell for now. We will see each other again." Callie said.

"Yeah. Absolutely." They embraced wholeheartedly. "I'll miss you."

"Not as much as I will miss you. Good luck in England. Try the tea and scones." Lindsey smiled.

"Of course. Can't go to England without trying the scones."

" And if you go to London, take a picture of Big Ben. Use a wizard camera though. It looks so much cooler."

"You got it."

"See you later, alligator." Callie said as Lindsey turned back to the others.

"After a short while, crocodile." Lindsey waved one last time before disappearing into the trees.

"I'm going to miss her. She's the best sister there is. I couldn't have picked a better one."

"Your sister isn't jealous of you being a witch?" Snape asked her.

"No, not at all. I think she wished she could be one and I wish that for her, but it is what it is. We will always be sisters, no matter what."

"The way sisters should be." Snape said and continued walking.

"Do you have a sister, sir?"

"No. I was an only child." Just then, there was a falcon patronus.

"Fudge knows where you are and has sent people to come for everyone. You must not take the portkey back to England. You will be transported to an unspecified location. A new portkey will arrive shortly. Phone book." It evaporated. Suddenly, a man appeared and set down a yellow phone book.

"You have one minute." He disappeared. All seven of them ran for the book and touched it, sending them into suspension. No one had a clue where they were going.


	9. Chapter 9

_*This chapter mixes around with Lindsey and Draco's POVs. Also, I don't think I ever thanked Tori-Da-Mutt for the review. I would advise you not to be mean to your sister, though. I know siblings can be a pain in the arse at times (I have two of them myself), but do be kind ;)_

Lindsey and Draco found themselves on hard rocks. It wasn't an exactly comfortable spot to land. Lindsey heard water rushing and bolted upright. She turned to find the source, but found nothing except trees and some large gray rocks blocking the view (and lots of pebbles).

"Where are we?" Ron asked.

"I am not sure." McGonagall answered, surveying the area with Snape.

"There's a lake over here." Harry said, pointing to an area. Draco, Lindsey, Ron and Hermione ran over to where Harry was. Lindsey saw a big lake. The air was quite chilly, which made Lindsey wonder if they were still in Alaska somewhere or maybe Canada. Canada was a possibility. The surrounding forest reminded her of Alaska a little and the Northwest a bit. She'd never been anywhere else, but highly doubted they were in England, Scotland or anywhere similar.

"How are we going to get back?" They heard McGonagall asked Snape.

"We could try and do side-along apparition."

"Yes. I'll take Mr. Longbottom, Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger. You can take Mr. Malfoy, and Mr. Potter." Harry looked like he had been asked to clean up manure. Snape didn't look much happier.

"Fine. Potter, Rink and Malfoy, over here."

"Longbottom, Weasley and Granger come to me. We are going to try and apparate to London."

"Can you do that?" Hermione asked. Lindsey took Draco's arm. Draco took Snape's right arm. Harry reluctantly took Snape's left arm, looking as though Snape might burn him.

"We are going to try."

They tried to apparate, but found themselves pulled back into the same spot.

"There's a protective force blocking us." Snape said bitterly.

"Yes, it looks like we are stuck here for awhile." McGonagall sighed. "Well, children, you can go explore and see what's around if you wish. However, don't go too far. I don't want to have to create a search party."

They all wondered around the area. The lake was rather large. Lindsey and Draco decided to explore the woods with Neville. They talked about Hogwarts for awhile. Evening was approaching and the sun was beginning to set. There was a loud howling noise.

"What was that?" Neville asked, clearly afraid though he tried to not show it.

"Sounds like a coyote or a wolf." Lindsey answered.

"A w-werewolf? They attack people."

"No, not a werewolf. Just a normal wolf."

"What's a normal wolf?"

"Like a dog, only wild. They aren't kind animals, but they rarely attack humans. I wouldn't get near one. I've seen a few wolves around my" Lindsey paused, clearly unsure how to address this. "place of residence." She couldn't call it a home. She lived there, but it was never home. Home was a happy place, a secure place, a place to relax and rest. That place was none of those.

There was long pause in which the three said nothing. "I take it you won't get homesick coming to Scotland with us then." Draco asked.

"No. I will miss my siblings a little though. Even if they drove me crazy a lot of times and I had to be their second mother whenever I was home, I will miss them. I will miss Callie a lot. We have been through similar situations. Allen didn't like her much more than he liked me. Her father does see her some. She knows who her dad is and she spends time with him and his wife when she can and my mom lets her. I know you are wondering why she's not there now and it's because with the situation, we felt it best she stay with a friend of mine from school. She'll be safer there. They can protect her with spells and charms and keep her hidden from our mom and Allen. Her father is a nonzard. The police have a restraining order out, but it won't help much."

"What's a nonzard? And what are the police?" Neville asked, curious.

"A muggle." Draco responded. "What's a restraining order?"

"It's a paper by the police that says someone or certain people aren't allowed within 100 feet of someone else or their home. If either Allen or my mom shows up at Kara's or Callie's father's home in Oregon, they are to call the police and the police will come shortly and escort them off the premises and put them in jail. Oh, and the police are nonzards who protect nonzards. It's their job."

"A jail? That's a prison, right?" Lindsey nodded to Neville.

"But the orders aren't much use. I hope they arrested Allen. Principal Reins likely called the police."

"I think he should go to Azkaban."

"Azkaban?" Lindsey asked Neville.

"Wizard prison in London. It's a scary place. Dementors guard it." Lindsey shivered at that. Dementors were rare, but she heard they guarded wizard prisons. They sucked happy thoughts out of people, feeding off any happy memory. "We should get back. It's getting dark. I wonder if we can get out of here soon. I'm tired." Neville said.

"Me too. I wonder what time it would be in London?" Draco asked. Lindsey shrugged.

"It was a little after noon when you all arrived in Alaska." Lindsey answered.

"But we don't know if we are in Alaska."

"No, but it reminds me of Canada and a little like the Northwest where I'm from, but not quite. I think we are further east. What time was it in Scotland when you left?"

"A little after eight at night." Draco answered.

"Oh, no wonder you are tired then." They came into the clearing of the rocks and found a large tent had been set up.

"We are stuck here for the night." Ron said, looking miserable.

"That's okay. Camping is fun." Lindsey said.

"Is it a wizard's tent?" Harry asked.

"There are muggle tents?" Ron asked, surprised at this knowledge. "I'll have to tell my dad when we get back home."

"What's a wizard's tent?" Lindsey questioned. "I didn't know wizards used tents. What is the difference?"

"The inside of it is much roomier and includes everything you need like a bathroom and extra rooms." Hermione stated to Lindsey. "So much better than the muggle ones my family used when I went camping with my parents."

"I like camping, but I've never been with my parents. I used to go with some friends. We had a blast, but they used regular nonzard tents. One of my friends had a pop-up trailer and we went down to Denali National Park for a few days. It was one of my favorite vacations." Lindsey reminisced.

"The girls will be in the room on the left next to me and the boys will have the room to the right next to Professor Snape. Professor Dumbledore has sent us a message and told us to stay here for the night." The air had gotten very cold, very fast. The temperature had to be hovering around freezing. "So, everyone inside before we freeze to death." They all filed into the tent.

Lindsey was shocked at how large the inside was compared to the outside. It was awesome. "I've never seen such a cool tent." A large fire was going inside a fireplace in the tent. There were eight chairs around it.

After a bit of food, they all went to the rooms. The bed was a real bed, not a sleeping bag, which surprised Lindsey.

"I like that it's a real bed and not a sleeping bag. I'm kind of tired of sleeping on the floor on a sleeping bag anyway." She told Hermione.

"I know. Wizard's tents are neat. I stayed in one for the first time a couple summers ago with Harry and the Weasleys."

"I've never been in one." They talked for awhile about muggle things, since they were both raised as muggles (nonzards in Lindsey's case). So far, Lindsey liked Hermione. She reminded her of Alyssa, her old friend at Midnight Sun. Finally, McGonagal turned out the lights and they were forced to get quiet. It didn't take long for any of them to get to sleep.

Draco found out that Weasley snored in his sleep, loudly. He also talked in his sleep (something about giant, hairy spiders chasing him and wanting him ice skate) and no, Draco was not going to let Ron live that down.


	10. Chapter 10

_*Thanks for the review __**JohnnyDeppIsMine**__. I am glad to hear you like it. I also realized I did not thank __**Desigirl97**__ and __**marinapanic**__ for their kind reviews. It is encouraging to hear you like it and certainly gives me a push to keep this story going. _

_*This chapter goes into a little more detail of the "cult" involvement. I won't ever mention any names of people Lindsey's parents follow religiously (pun intended) because I don't want to use real people in the story. I will, however, describe methods they use and some may be a bit disturbing and cruel. You can't say I didn't warn you. If you are interested in learning more about these people for any reason, just pm me and I can provide those sources. Though, honestly, I'd stay away from it. Some of them are beyond crazy. _

_*Also, note that this story is set in May 1996. Lindsey's school year was ending in a couple weeks. Hogwarts doesn't end until the end of June (per the books). U.S school years vary, but 180 days is average. A few schools are year-round, which means they go for 180 days, but they don't get summers off. They go for about three months, get about 3 weeks off, three months and then three weeks off, etc. Lindsey's school starts the last week of August and ends by the 1__st__ of June. _

_I'm not as happy with this chapter as I am some of the others. It's a bit boring. Things will liven up in the next couple chapters. _

**Chapter 10:**

The following morning, they were still stuck in, wherever it was they were. A layer of frost covered the ground.

The breakfast provided included fried eggs, sausages, bacon, toast and melons. Lindsey's mother would never have fixed such a meal at home for breakfast. She was used to oatmeal and cereal with some toast or something quick and easy like that.

Everyone scattered after breakfast. The day was chilly with the scattered clouds.

"So, what is there to do?" Ron asked, growing bored with walking around the area.

"I didn't bring anything. I assumed we'd be back long before now." Harry stated.

"Well, I have a radio and a few other things in my luggage." Lindsey said. They looked at her. "What? My sister and I had to keep entertained somehow."

"I forget you weren't living at home before we came." Lindsey sighed at Neville's words. "What do you do with a radio?"

"Well, people talk about stuff like politics and the news and it plays music. I might be able to find a local station if I play with the knob." She grinned.

"What else do you have?"

"A pack of cards, a couple board games, a drawing pad, some pencils and some books. That's about it. Oh, and my school stuff."

"What sort of cards?" Ron asked.

"Playing cards. My sister and I would play blackjack, crazy 8's, Go fish, poker and stuff."

"Let's do that." Hermione said to the questioning faces of Draco, Neville and Ron. "Get the radio and the cards. We can listen to music and play a few games." Lindsey went back to the tent. The professors were nearby, talking in hushed voices. She didn't know what they were talking about, but assumed it was probably about being stuck here and what to do next.

Lindsey explained how to play BlackJack and Hermione dealt the cards.

"The people on here don't move!" Neville exclaimed.

"Oh course not. It's not a wizard's game." Lindsey said with a kind smile to him. Lindsey found a station that played some music. "Can't Buy Me Love, a Beatles song. My mom used to like them. My parents don't know I, er, borrowed their radio." Lindsey admitted.

"You took their radio?"Hermione asked while they played the games.

"Eh, they have, like, five others. They don't let us listen to music anymore. It's of the devil." Harry eyed her strangely.

"Of the devil?"

"Yes. Music corrupts the youth unless it is hymns and psalms."

"Psalms?"

"Poems. Psalms is a book of the Holy Bible. It's of poems and prayers written by King David."

"Yes, we used to read them in church." Harry said.

"We had to memorize them, memorize scripture. Me, especially."

"Why?" Draco inquired.

"My parents felt it was the best education. Good thing Alaska's homeschool laws are so lenient. I wish they were stricter so my mom would have to teach them more than writing and reading and basic math. They aren't doing any science or history, except what's in the Bible. It worries me."

"They aren't going to be prepared for life, in the muggle world, that is. They won't be able to get away and study like you have been able to." Hermione spoke, sadly.

"No. that's why it worries me so much. I want them to be successful and go to college and be able to support themselves. My parents don't want them to be away from them though. I know they won't let them go to college. I don't know how they will be able to support themselves. None of my younger siblings, with the exception of Callie, have ever set foot in a school. They are never around other children."

"What about at church?"

"No nursery or Sunday school. They keep the children with them at all times. Other children are, well, bad influences I guess. They don't know how to interact around other kids and that worries me too. I mean, I was homeschooled for a year and mom kept us secluded. It was awful, but I was used to being around others. I had been in school since I was three. Most people didn't send their children to preschool, but Callie and I went and I loved school most of the time. So did Callie. It was my escape from home." Lindsey turned to the others. They were all listening to her. The music in the background played `_The House of the Rising Sun_' by The Animals.

"Before I was in fifth grade, Callie and I went to school most of the year, did extracurricular activities, had friends over at times, but usually we went to our friends' houses. In fifth grade, that mostly stopped. We were allowed to be other activities, but rarely got to leave home otherwise. The other activities were the only reason I was able to keep my sanity. Thank heavens for wizard schools. When I started there though, mom and dad went off the deep end a bit more and only let Callie take violin lessons. Then they stopped letting the younger ones leave during church services and no longer let anyone over except those from church. I so wished I could have brought Callie to school with me. She would have been happier, even if she couldn't do the work." No one said a word.

"She couldn't go though, even if she wanted to." Draco said. Muggles could not go to wizard schools. His parents thought muggleborns shouldn't either, which may or may not have included Lindsey.

"No, I suppose not."

"You honestly don't know who your father is?" He asked, knowing it was a bit personal, but still.

"No. I tried to locate my birth certificate but my mom doesn't have one in the house for some odd reason. I'd have to go all the way to Oregon to get it from the courthouse. I've heard of parental potions, I may try one of them one day. It's funny, all my siblings have a birth certificate, but mom says she lost mine. I'm not sure if I believe that or she's hiding something. I know I'm not adopted. I inherited her eyes and ears. We both have a quirky kink to ours. We share a blood type as well, 0+."

"How many brothers and sisters do you have?" Harry asked.

"Seven, all half, none full. One on the way."

"Why do they have so many? I mean it's not like they were trying for a boy." Ron said. He had six siblings of his own.

"Well, they wanted a boy. They have four boys right now. They will keep going until nature stops them."

"They will have more?"

"She's having one this autumn. She won't stop. She believes it is her calling from God. Birth babies, lots of babies and be submissive to her husband."

"Why?"

"Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate."

"What?" Ron asked, confused.

"Psalms 127, King David wrote it. My parents believe it is a call to have children, lots of children. Lots of "arrows" in their quiver means lots of children in the home. Building up an army for God to fight Satan, that's what they trying to do. Be fruitful and multiply. Of course, they forget David had at least seven wives, likely more and concubines. It's much easier to have lots of babies with so many women birthing them." She smirked.

"I don't get your parents, but if they were normal we wouldn't be in this position." Neville said.

"I'm sorry."

"No, I meant we wouldn't have had to help you. I don't mind being stuck here." He looked at the professors. "I just wish it weren't with Snape."

"He just wants to get a rise out of you. Ignore him." Draco said to Neville.

"Dumbledore sent some lunch. Come along." McGonagall called to them. Lindsey shut off the radio as the song `_Kokomo_' by the Beach Boys ended.

"I always liked that song. It makes me think of the beach and warm weather."

"I liked it too." Neville agreed. "It's a happy song."

"Come on, race you back."

"Race?" Draco asked her.

"Yes, do you not ever race, just for fun?"

"No."

"You do now. Ready, set, go." She ran for the tent, Neville, Hermione, Ron and Harry on her heels. Draco sighed and ran as well. It seemed silly, but the others were enjoying themselves. She seemed to be cheering up. Why ruin the mood?

_**A/N**__: Yes, Americans do eat eggs, sausage, bacon and toast. It's just not an everyday thing for most people. I imagined Lindsey's mother to have her hands full most of the time. I assume she does not fix large breakfasts or lunches for anyone so it's a treat for Lindsey. _

_I italicized the song titles just so they show up more. Citation doesn't require it. "Kokomo" is one of my favorite songs. I'm not a fan of The Beatles, but I do like the movie of the song's namesake. I added it for my brother, who likes their music, since he just had a birthday. Happy Birthday bub!_

_**Next: trouble brews with Harry. **_

_**Lindsey's mother is clearly hiding something from her. Any guesses?**_


	11. Chapter 11

_*Thanks for pointing out my error JDIM, I have fixed the mistake. _

_Thanks to __**xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx, AncientAssassin and JohnnyDeppIsMine**__ for their kind reviews. I guess I thought writing the chapter was boring. I am glad you didn't think so. Things will get more exciting soon. _

_A/N: I should probably mention that I am not against religion or Christianity at all. What I am against is fundamentalism. Religion is usually (imho) providing purpose and meaning to life. Fundamentalism is almost always done out of control and fear. There are always leaders and these leaders tend to isolate their followers in a variety of ways, making them afraid of the world around them. It also forces a high amount of control or authority on another (i.e. Heavy patriarchy in this story) with others often compelled to be submissive (in this story: women). You see more evil forms of this as well in the books (Voldemort with Death Eaters). In other words: Cult behavior. _

**Chapter 11: **

It took another day before they were allowed out of, where ever they were and free to go on to Scotland. They had finally arrived outside of Hogwarts. Dolores Umbridge was still the Headmaster, but Fudge seemed to realize they weren't trying to create an army for Dumbledore on their journey. This made it safe for them to come back. This did not, however, change the fact that Umbridge was not happy to have six of the students and two of the teachers disappear on her watch.

Since Lindsey had not been sorted into a house, McGonagall thought they should see where the hat would put her. Snape ducked out, claiming he had work to catch up on. The rest of them made their way up to the Headmaster's office.

She let them inside with a girlish giggle and a slight cough. Lindsey knew the moment she saw the women that she didn't like her. Something about her bothered Lindsey before she remembered the others mentioning their awful temporary Headmaster. She understood now why they didn't like her.

"So, we have a new student at our school. Do tell me your name child?"

"Lindsey. Lindsey Rink."

"And what is your date of birth?"

"February 9, 1980."

"And where were you born?"

"Astoria, Oregon." Lindsey raised an eyebrow, unsure why she was being asked the question.

"Country?"

"The United States."

"And this is where you all have been?" Ah, she was wondering where they had been the past few days.

"No, ma'am."

"No?"

"No. I live, I mean lived, in Alaska."

"You said you were born in Oregon."

"I was born in Oregon."

"So that's where they rescued you from?" The tone in her voice made Lindsey realize she didn't believe the others had brought her here to get her away from her home. What she thought they were doing, Lindsey could only guess.

"No." She spoke with confidence. "I was born in Oregon, but I was living in Alaska. My mother and Allen moved to Alaska when I was eight. I lived in Oregon until I was five and then in Washington State until I was eight."

"Who is this Allen?"

"My stepfather, ma'am."

"The man they were rescuing you from?"

"Yes."

"And what is your status?"

"Status?"

"Your blood status?"

"Blood Status?"

"Yes, are you deaf?"

"No, I heard you, but I don't see what it matters."

"It matters here."

"Why?"

"Don't ask questions, only answer mine."

"Well, then, I don't have an answer."

"Are being smart with me?"

"No, I just don't have an answer."

"You aren't a pureblood then?"

"No, ma'am."

"Are you a half-blood?"

"I do not know."

"So you are a muggleborn?"

"I do not know."

"You have to be one or the other. Is your mother a witch?"

"No."

"Is your stepfather a wizard?"

"No."

"Do you have any siblings?"

"Yes."

"How many?"

"Seven. Soon to be eight."

"Are any of them wizards or witches?"

"No."

"Just you?"

"Yes."

"So you are a muggle born?"

"I don't know."

"Is your biological father a wizard?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know." Lindsey let out a small, quiet huff. This was getting annoying and frankly, she didn't want to talk about her parents.

"No, I do not know who my father is and therefore cannot properly answer your question."

"How do you not know who your father is? Didn't your mother tell you?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure if even she knows."

"Was your mother a tramp?"

"I'm not sure." The woman may have insulted her mother, but Lindsey didn't exactly care.

"So what does that make you?" Lindsey scowled.

"I do not appreciate accusations of my purity." She said with a straight face. "You know nothing of me."

"And I do not appreciate backtalk."

"You asked a question. I answered."

"I think you should serve detention with me tomorrow evening, yes." Lindsey considered protesting, but decided against it. She didn't need to be in more trouble already. "And I suggest you change into school robes."

"I am wearing school robes. These are my school robes. I haven't bought any for Hogwarts."

"We will fix the robe issue later." McGonagall butt in before Umbridge could speak. "I would like to sort Ms. Rink into a house. It is near curfew and the children all need to be in their dorm rooms." McGonagall took the hat.

"Ah, Professor, to what do I owe the honor?" The hat spoke.

"A sorting." She placed the hat on Lindsey.

"Hmm, interesting. I see some cunning and ambition on your part. Possibly Slytherin, but I think not. Bravery, loyalty and intelligence." The hat thought. "Best be…Ravenclaw."

"Is that a good house?"

"Yes." Draco said. "Though I like Slytherin best." McGonagall put the hat back.

"Now, if you will excuse us, Dolores, I will escort the children to their houses. I need to speak with Randall and get Ms. Rink settled. Thank you for your time." She hurried the children out the door and left without another word.

"I don't like her. I really didn't like her questioning me either. I got the feeling she was trying to find something out and I don't think it was anything good." She said to Draco.

"She works for the Ministry. The ministry is a bit mad as of late."

"So I've heard. It seems your blood status is important here. Not that noone ever mentioned it at my old school, but it was not a serious issue. With that-thing back, I worry about being here. Wasn't he against nonz-muggles and those of muggle birth? Sorry, I forget you call them muggles. I'll have to get used to it."

"Yes, he is, but don't worry, he doesn't have much power yet. I wouldn't worry until it happens."

"And then what?"

"I don't know."

"We'll all cross that bridge when we get there." Hermione interjected. "I'm a muggle born witch, so I know how you feel. I'll be in danger as well." Lindsey looked sympathetic.

Draco split off for the bowels of the castle and Lindsey went with the others to the upper levels of the castle. At a set of staircases, McGonagall went with her up one set of stairs while the others went the other direction. To Lindsey's surprise, the staircases moved. They did not do this at her old school. The stairs there were stable, except when you went down them, they turned into a slide.

Finally they reached a small door. The professor knocked. A small man answered. "Oh, Minerva, come in."

They went inside. "Randall, we have a new student at our school. This is Lindsey Rink. We had a sorting for her moments ago and she was sorted into Ravenclaw." The man smiled.

"Oh, wonderful. We are happy to have her." The spoke for a bit and explained the rules of Hogwarts before Flitwick led her to a portrait.

"The more it dries, the wetter it gets. What am I?" Lindsey was confused a second before realizing it was a riddle. She thought about it a moment.

"A towel." It swung open and they climbed inside.

"Ahem." The Professor cleared his throat and everyone got quiet. "We have a new student at Hogwarts for the remainder of the year. She is in her fifth year and has come to us all the way from the United States. She was sorted into this house earlier today. I hope you will all welcome her and show her the ropes. Have a great night." He left her in the common room. She was a bit apprehensive since she knew none of them and they had been together for long time, even the first years.

She found she did not need to worry about fitting in at all. In less than two minutes, she was seated on the couch, surrounded by her new schoolmates. They began asking her all sorts of questions about herself and where she was from. She in turn asked questions about the school and the answered happily. It may have only been a few hours, but she was already feeling at home.

**So, does anyone have a preference about Lindsey's blood status? Should her father be a muggle or a wizard? She will find out later in the story. **


	12. Chapter 12

_This really needs an update, don't you think? So here it is, at last. The next chapter is in the works already. I apologize for it taking so long. I have been working on another story and it got such an overwhelming response, I kept working on it and neglected this one. I also kept changing my mind on what to write here and erased it several times. I think I like it now. _

_My apologizes to those who like and wish to read this one. You deserve an update. _

_Oh and thanks to __**Desigirl97**__ and __**JohnnyDeppIsMine **__for your reviews last chapter. _

**Chapter 12: Darkness Approaching **

"Think!" Lindsey told herself. "What was the magician's name, think." She thought a moment. "Gaston? No. Gwen? No, that's not right." She took a breath and looked up. A few people around her were scribbling away. Most looked completely clueless. "Gwydion!" She suddenly remembered. "That's it, yes." She began to write.

It was late June and Lindsey was taking the O.W.L exams with the other Hogwarts students. It was a bit more difficult since she had spent much more time learning the History of Magic in the United States than in Great Britain. Still, she did know some of the ideas and had spent lots of her free time trying to learn them since arriving.

Lindsey was working on a question about the third gremlin riots in London when she heard a noise that sounded like someone yelling and then she heard someone fall. She looked up from her paper. It was clear she hadn't been the only one who heard it. It was then she saw Harry Potter on the ground. He was holding his head at his scar. She wasn't sure what was happening, but had a feeling it had something to do with the connection to Voldemort he had spoken about. He was taken out of the hall and she went back to writing.

0o0o0o

The O. ended and it was now the last week of the school year. She learned from Malfoy that Harry and his friends had gone to the Department of Mysteries in London and there was a bit of a battle. In the battle, Harry had lost his godfather. Lindsey was outside, reading the _Sunday Prophet_. What she was reading disturbed her. The Ministry believed a wizard who called himself Lord Voldemort was back. To say he was evil was an understatement. She may have only lived here for a six weeks, but she knew of this being. Her old school had spoken of him and his fall.

It was a nice day and it seemed nearly everyone was outside taking in the sun. "Hey." She heard someone call. She turned.

"Oh, hi." She smiled at Draco. "How are things?" She asked this question, knowing things hadn't been so great with him. His father was captured at the Ministry of Magic and was currently imprisoned in Azkaban. He seemed torn about it.

"Things are okay." He sat down beside her. "Have you heard anymore from your sister about your parents?"

"Not much. She's with her dad right now and is hoping to start high school in the fall. The other kids are still with my parents. Since I am no longer in the country and no one is filing a complaint there is no restraining order anymore. There isn't any evidence to go on besides the shell. I don't think he will harm his own children, so I'm not too worried about them being treated as I have been. I am worried about what they will do to them though. I know, it sounds like a contradiction, but I mean that they will become paranoid. I know them. They will think the government is after them and their children. They will run. This time they will probably run out of the country. Where will they go? I have no idea, but it is my guess. They are convinced that America is the next Babylon."

"Well, they won't take you with them, will they?"

"I don't think they can, considering everything that has happened." It was silent. "Anyway, I'd rather talk about other things. What classes do you hope to take next year?" They discussed the various classes they could take or ones they hoped they would be able to take the following year.

0o0o0o

Back home, Draco thought somberly. The toad was gone, but he knew he had bigger issues to face. With his father in prison for failing to retrieve the prophecy, he had to go home to his mother and hope all hell didn't break loose. It was clear to him that Lindsey was becoming more and more anxious by the day. The minister had resigned and now everyone was certain Voldemort was back. This terrified Lindsey and he had to admit, if only to himself, that he was scared for her.

"He'll come after me. He'll come after you because you were friends with me." She said to him the day before they were to leave.

"You'll be fine. No one knows your background. They think you are a half-blood. The Dark Lord himself is a half-blood."

"But I may not be. There's just as good of a chance that I am a mudblood as I am a half-blood." Draco frowned at her.

"Don't you call yourself that." He said, surprising even himself. Since when did he even care about silly names? She winced.

"Sorry."

"You will never be a, a, that, even if you are muggle-born. No one knows though, Lindsey. People believe the half-blood idea."

"I hate lying."

"You aren't really though. You very well could be, you just aren't sure."

She sighed. "I can't do this, Draco. I think I should just go back home and endure the suffering for the last two years."

"And what, have your step-dad kill you, thinking he'll get a pass to heaven for his witch burning? No way."

"I'm not any safer here!" To her surprise, tears stung her eyes. He took her hands.

"You'll be safe here. Dumbledore is here, he won't let anything happen to us."

"What if something happens to him though? I mean, he's powerful and all, but he's not as young as he was during the first war. He doesn't look all that well, honestly. You know as well I do that that the crazy megalomaniac will try to infiltrate the school. I'm sure he'll find out. They have parental spells that could reveal the truth about my father. If he's a nonzard, I mean muggle, I'm as good as gone. He'll murder me on the spot."

Draco knew all this quite well. It was just harder to hear her say this. "If something happens and he gains power," Draco started and gave a heavy sigh, weighing the implications in his mind. "then we will go on the run." He looked into her eyes. "Together. I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."

She smiled and sighed. "I don't want you to get yourself into trouble for me."

"I know you don't, but I went out of my way to bring you here. The least you could do is let me help save you from the fate I got you into by doing so."

"I still think I should go home. At least for the summer."

"No way. You aren't any bit safer here than you are there. You are coming home with me. I know my mom won't mind. I'm sure she'd even welcome the extra company. She's been alone lately." Lindsey squeezed his shoulder.

"I know and I'm sorry about your father. I can't believe he'd try and do anything for that psychopath. I'm glad you aren't leaning to his favor. I know it can't be easy for you. I figured you might start to hate me since I may be of nonzard birth. I mean, muggle-born." Draco looked surprised at her.

"Not in this life. The Dark Lord is probably angry and he will even angrier with me when I refuse to take the Mark, but it won't stop me. I'll go into hiding before I'll let him put his revenge on me."

"And leave me?" She joked.

"Of course not. Let's just hope it won't be anytime soon." There was a long, silent pause.

"There will be a time when we will have to go into hiding. So will many of our classmates. And Harry," Lindsey looked over at the Gryffindor sitting at his table. "He'll have to go into hiding too. You-Know-Who is after him more than anyone else." Draco nodded at this sad reminder. Once Voldemort gained more power and control, life was going to be nothing short of hell and many people were going to be forced into hiding. People were going to die, this much he knew, as hard as it was to acknowledge. He just hoped it wouldn't be them.


End file.
